Wed AM in New Orleans

Slow day here in New Orleans.
Slow for us....not for the action in town. After walking a few miles tracking fans down and going from parking lots to fans....parking lots to SAT trucks...walking walking walking...I'm actually sore.

Maybe it's a reminder that I need to work out.

Weather is perfect down here but rain expected for Friday. That is perfect because we will be parked outside and get to roll back and forth thru the rain while going from the Dome to the truck.

Okay...I'm through whining.

The weather is great today...but I've frozen down here before. When Auburn beat Michigan 9-7 in the 1984 Sugar Bowl, the entire south was slammed with an ice storm. No ice in New Orleans but we froze...wind chill was awful.

I've mentioned before that the vibe in New Orleans was a little different than past Sugar Bowls.
One thing is that there aren't as many people. Haven't had to much trouble moving around...except at Jackson Square.
If you are going to Jackson Square....prepare to park and walk.
Also, the town seems to have a softer edge to it. Maybe more of a live and let live from the locals...the town seems to not be as tense as in the past.

Bama fans are still bummed about losing Andre Smith. He was sent home by Nick Saban after Monday's practice.
It's looking more and more like this is going to be over a deal/talks with an agent.
It reminds Tide fans of the Antonio Langham deal from the 1993 Sugar Bowl when he signed a deal with an agent in the wee hours of the morning after the Tide beat Miami. This is a little different. Back in the Langham deal, many Tide athletic department administration officials found out about the Langham deal, kept quiet, and hoped it went away. That backfired.
This time, it appears that Bama AD Mal Moore and Coach Nick Saban acted quickly to get Andre Smith out of New Orleans when
the found out about the situation.

Alabama Attorney General Troy King is on this. Says they are going over all the evidence and working closely with UA on this to see if an agent violated any Alabama laws. Alabama has very strict laws on the book about agent conduct.

(GS Opinion Alert-Is every legal problem in Alabama solved? Is every bad guy behind bars? Has every fugitive from Alabama justice been apprehended? I think is a University of Alabama/Andre Smith problem. I know the laws are on the book about agents. But at best, resources used by the state to punish agents in the state seem to be misguided, and at worst, it seems to be pandering to a fan base. Is there a law on Alabama books directed at the players? Maybe there needs to be a law that says the Andre Smiths of the world can't sign with an unsanctioned agent before their class graduates. You won't see that law passed because it's easier to get pitchforks and torches and go after the agents rather than the players.


More Later

GS