Friday, April 18, 2008

Reporters' Notebooks

Sunday Morning Quarterback: Exactly how many scholarship players will Alabama have to cut to meet NCAA levels? And about the rule that limits the size of a recruiting class to 25. Alabama signed 32. What gives?

Jon Solomon, Birmingham News: Nick Saban on the new "Saban Rule," which prohibits head coaches going on the road during the spring evaluation period from April 15-May 31: "I think it's ridiculous that we're doing what we're doing."

Chip Brown, Dallas Morning News: Texas officials confirmed a loss of roughly $68,000 for the Longhorns' trip to the Holiday Bowl. One reason given was that the team sold only 3,634 tickets from its allotment of 11,000. If Texas had sold 7,000 tickets, it would have generated enough money to cover the shortfall.

Chris Wohlwend, New York Times: Jackie Walker, the first African-American player in the Southeastern Conference to be named an all-American and the first to captain an SEC team, is having his legacy restored, six years after his death. Why has his name faded from memory? It was because Walker was gay, his brother, former teammates and coaches say.

Mark Viera, New York Times: A question and answer session with Bobby Bowden, in advance of a Sunday piece on Joe Paterno.

Jonathan Crowl, Daily Nebraskan: Hmmm. After its spat with Bo Pelini, the student newspaper follows with a piece that is praiseworthy of the coach's "full-throttle approach to discipline and player conduct." Thanks to UWire.

Dirk Facer, Deseret News: Yet another postseason game? The Rocky Mountain Bowl, to be played in Salt Lake City, could be up and running in December.

Doug Lesmerises, Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio State will play host to Penn State on Oct. 25 in a night game. It will be the first night game at Ohio Stadium since the memorable 2005 game against Texas.

Randy Peterson, Des Moines Register: Iowa will charge $65 for a ticket to its home game against Iowa State. Last year, Iowa State charged $90, making a ticket to the rivalry game the second-highest priced single-game ticket nationally behind the $95 charged for Oklahoma-Texas in Dallas.

Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman: Ticket prices are getting a hefty boost at Boise State. Prices will rise between 5.9% to 14.3%, with the average increase just under 10%.

Kyle Ringo, Boulder Daily Camera: Hotshot prep running back Darrell Scott, whose recruitment was surrounded by controversy, will attend Colorado's spring game. What controversy? Here, here and here.

Dion Hazelbaker, Indiana Daily Student: The use of the Indiana University logo in political campaigns is being questioned. Again, thanks to UWire.

Rod Higgins, Memphis Commercial Appeal: Cocktail alert. The 50th anniversary celebration of the Liberty Bowl, scheduled for July 19-20, will be a star-studded event.

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times: Have you hugged your sports columnist today? Yes, Friday is National Columnist Day.

Trojan Wire: USC has won the all-important title of "Hottest Student Bodies: The 50 Best Colleges Ranked By Looks."

Michael Hiestand, USA Today: Erin Andrews? She's just a working stiff.

It's the biggest weekend yet for spring games, and we'll be posting reports from each game on Sunday.

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