http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704500604574481722556333090.html

WSJ: Jason Gay

Fire up the homemade Mylar spaceship, Daddy: The New Orleans Saints are flying to the Super Bowl.

Crazy? Carried away? It’s only Week 6, after all. They’re still playing baseball! The Washington Redskins haven’t even fired one head coach!

Who could make such a reckless prediction? Calm down, people: it’s football, not cardiology.

Besides, who wasn’t inspired by Sunday’s cruel 48-27 shellacking of the New York Giants in the Superdome? The 5-0 Saints have been obnoxiously overlooked this season, a footnote to media-hoggy sideshows like Brett Favre’s ego and Mark Sanchez’s abdomen. Meanwhile, the Giants went into Eli Manning’s hometown with presumptive swagger—they were undefeated, they had a stout defense, and they were from New York, so the world already rotated around them.

Auburn has chosen a new football coach.  The Press Register says he is Iowa State Head Coach Gene Chizik.  It’s not his first time at Auburn.  Look for a press conference on Monday.  http://blog.al.com/live/

The best NBA point guard against the best NBA forward made for an inspired wet evening at the Mitchell Center as the Miami Heat and the New Orleans Hornets pounded the boards.

Texas is #1 and sources close to Alabama players say the top players even admit Texas looks like a power house that Bama could not handle. But powerful Saban coaching makes the NFL saying still true, “any team can beat any team any given Sunday”. Bama is young but the Tide will have to stalwarth Tennessee in the 4th quarter to remain undefeated. Still Saban is a miracle worker across coastal Alabama.

If you have to ask what someone is doing today at 2:30pm you also don’t know what is obvious about just sending your scholar to “the university” for college. It is the South. It is Saturday. Kick off is at 2:30 on WKRG CBS. Your children are going to Alabama for college. They will be Republicans. All is right with the world. Just don’t make me explain why you start bar be que ing at 10am, watching the white smoke rise like the holy grail, and crack the tin seal of a beer open like a one gun salute.

The awesome Toro football program is big which threatens the powerhouse Daphne, Foley, Vigor, Murphy, Davidson, McGill, UMS powerhouses for future rivalries. But those on the inside of highschool football programs also understand the obsession schools have with football as the hallmark of their education program. Portables versus football stadiums, you decide which should get more of the education budget.

   Alabama coach Nick Saban sent a rocket across American college sports as his Alabama team suddenly is ranked #2 in a meteoric rise to national contention behind Oklahoma. Disbelief hit many that Saban could in just his second year transform the storied Bama program from a middle of the road team to a return to the days of the Bear, days of power, prestige and promise. (al.com photo)

Mississippi native Brett Farve threw for 6 touchdowns to tie Joe Namath NY Jets record. Namath played for the Bear at Alabama.

Alabama #8 undefeated takes on Georgia #3 in the big test question does Saban have a contender already only in year 2? Speaking of Alabama football Alabama State Tevaroes Jackson got benched as NFL QB for the Minnesota Vikings after 2 losses, and his replacement won.

BAYBEARS PRESS RELEASE….the Mobile BayBears are providing you a unique opportunity to be a permanent part of history here at Hank Aaron Stadium.  We will be offering this to the general public but wanted to provide you this private opportunity to get in first.  This is your chance to Buy a Brick that will support BayBears Charities, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  BayBears Charities is responsible for the move, restoration and operation of the Hank Aaron Museum. The Hank Aaron Museum will open the Spring of 2009.  This historic project will feature memorabilia and artifacts from the career and life of Mr. Henry Aaron.  Each brick is a 4″ x 8″ and can have up to 3 lines of text with up to 20 characters per line.  A character is any letter, number, punctuation or spaces.  These bricks are available for only $250.

NPR reports Walmart and Ace Hardware have sold children soccer goals with 5 inch net openings that have killed one child in the US and the Consumer Protection Agency says the goals with these nets should be REMOVED IMMEDIATELY because the opening should be 4 inches to prevent under age children from accidental strangulation. The nets are made in China under several brands so go to Consumer Alerts for Soccer Goals to get model numbers.

The Mobile Chamber developed Dauphin Island as a well planned community on par with the vision that built Fairhope. During the 1970’s the Isle Dauphine Club and Golf Course was an architectural beauty and economic success that was the focus of the island community. It inspired growth that made the island prosperous for everyone. When that generation of citizens passed away the next generation of leaders led to a strange group of infighters that set the town against the property owners against the park and beach board. Thier failure has left the club in disgrace, the community and economy in ruin, and the natural environment an embarrassment of failure. Few coastal communities look like Dauphin Island in disrepair. The club, on the list of historic places in America, is a leaking eyesore of failure. And with this disgrace has come the collapse of the entire community existence. This was not an easy task. The leaders have now for 30 years (since the new bridge in 1979) destroyed and kept in ruin the entire community. The pinnacle of stupidity was when the Dauphin Island Property Owners Association turned down David Bronner and the RSA investment fund, the same fund that built the RSA Tower, built Magnolia Grove and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the Alabama Cruise Terminal and the Carnival Cruise industry, protected the Grand Hotel and has invested in Mobile like no investor in the 300 year history of our county. It is a small story that Dauphin Island was ruined by a small handful of petty indecision makers. But it is a large story that such a crime began and continues for over 3 decades.

Alabama is ranked 9 and Auburn 10. Saban is also on the cover of Forbes magazine as the most powerful college coach in the nation and his team made the cover of Sports Illustrated.

 As the rain begins to blow #26 comes off the field with 25 seconds left as Spanish Fort and Foley battle down to the wire in what is an American ritual, middle school sports. Coaches, kids and parents work long hours to travel, cheer, practice and enjoy the balmy or blustery nights along coastal Alabama athletic fields. Kids battle from Vigor to Alba to Bay Minette to Elberta. Referees and cheerleaders and concession stand vendors and band members and sisters and brothers join the tradition of being young at heart and full of fun. And dont forget the bus driver on the long ride home!  

Moms and dads and their middle and high school athletes can keep up with Eastern Shore Mobile Bay football, cross country, soccer and basketball thanks to a new web site easternshoresports.net!