Now Los Angeles's hopes of getting the NFL back are really screwed

Sorry there wasn't a post yesterday - wound up unexpectedly having to put time in on a work project. The SEC coaches preseason All-Conference squad has been released, and Tim Tebow was inexplicably not chosen unanimously as the first team quarterback. The other vote presumably went to Jevan Snead, but it's hard to figure out who would have done that and why. It wasn't Houston Nutt, because he isn't allowed to vote for his own guy. The only thing it could possibly do is motivate Tebow, because it's certainly not like anyone will look back and downgrade his career due to not being a unanimous preseason choice. Does someone really think Snead's better? Even more bizarre was the selection of South Carolina's Stephen Garcia as the third team QB. Apparently the voting coaches didnt see the Outback Bowl.

Deposed Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie is writing a book. It's apparently been in the works for three years, but now it will be fascinating to see what he's willing to say. It would be foolish to be too brutal in his comments about the UK experience if Gillispie hopes to coach again, but he's a really weird dude. No word on whether he's actually willing to sign the contract for the book, or if he only has a napkin with a couple of sentences that promises he'll do it. Meanwhile, Kentucky fans are weighing in with sarcastic book title ideas. My two favorite ones that I read were "A Season On the Drink" and "The Man to Man Diet (I don't zone, ever)".

Next week I'll head to Birmingham for SEC football Media Days. It's been a yearly ritual for a decade and a half, and it remains a tradition despite most of us hoping it'll eventually move to Atlanta. There's not a lot to do in Birmingham other than go out to some bars or the dog track, which might explain why they think building a domed stadium for 630 million dollars would be a fine idea. They can set themselves up to be the gun to the head of various NFL cities to extort new stadiums for the next decade, but there is no way pro football is going to actually move to Birmingham.

The economy is as unfriendly as it's been in years for professional sports. The Arena League went under, the NBA salary cap is dropping, and sponsorships are dropping off everywhere. So why wouldn't this be the ideal time to start the USA's first professional cricket league? Maybe they can play it in Birmingham's dome. Have a great weekend and I'll see you back here Monday.