A Weekend Full of AU Athletics

This past weekend provided tons of laughs, insight and Auburn athletics as Andrew and I descended upon the Loveliest Village for a couple of days. Below are some of the anecdotes taken from the sporting events:

1.) Auburn's baseball team should win 35 games. We have more pitching than we've had in the Slater era, and I think that if the bullpen can keep up the entire schedule, 38-40 wins is not out of the question. That being said, there were still fundamental mishaps galore at the Saturday game. Seriously, two catcher interference calls in one game?

2.) Hunter Morris looks like a first baseman in the field. The kid is enormous. If he would widen his stance at the plate and change his number to 44, we'd have the second coming of Andres Gallaraga on our hands. You could tell that ETSU's coaching staff wasn't afraid of a true freshman by the fact that Mike Bianucci saw so few pitches. To stay in the 4 hole of the lineup, Morris is going to have to produce and big. Today, he had his first collegiate home run. I think that's the first of many. He has a better body build than former UF standout Matt LaPorta, and anyone who follows college baseball knows how much he loved playing at AU's Plainsman Park.

3.) While I still am completely on the Luke Greinke bandwagon, my favorite newcomer to the AU club is definitely second baseman Justin Hargett. We had the pleasure of sitting next to his cheering section for Saturday's game as well as a couple of innings of Sunday's contest. No one on the team has a more vocal mother. Super Justin - that's what we've decided to dub you after you continued to mash the ball despite counts, situations or pitchers - I wish you all the luck in the world and keep up the good work, kid. I tip my cap to your performance in your debut series.

4.) We posthumously awarded the Auburn Mitch moniker to the gentleman seated behind us at the AU-UAT basketball game Sunday. I don't think I can count the number of times we heard, "BOX OUT!" and "IT (the basketball) AIN'T A SNAKE! GRAB IT!" The best part? He was teaching his grandson how to be annoying and "That Guy" young. Oh, the future bodes well for the Auburn fan base with knuckleheads like Mitch passing on their habits.

5.) Speaking of the basketball game, Jeff Lebo is quite possibly the best coach on Auburn's campus right now. The guy is a phenomenal motivator. I just hate that we've suffered so much bad luck during his tenure. Sure, he could have a couple more athletes, but how easy do you think it is to sell Auburn's lack of fan support plus the facility we currently have? Luckily for us, the BOT has decided to do something about this with the new arena, but in the meantime, Lebo is doing more with less than anyone else in the SEC. One more player, and we're right in the middle of the fight for the SEC West with Mississippi State.

6.) Cool Hand Luke showed out, and I don't think he hit a bigger shot than his three with the shot clock expiring right in front of Rico Pickett in the second half. The kid played with a passion that matched his confidence for the first time that I've seen him in person. Also, someone apparently challenged Quan Prowell's manhood prior to the game because the guy was a beast underneath the basket. There's no excuse for Mark Gottfried to allow our team to outscore them in the paint, and Prowell lit up Hendrix - causing the big man to miss several easy layups and Bama to shoot up three after three after three.

7.) Much to my personal delight, I have now seen our team win two-straight games with me in attendance. This hasn't happened since early in Lebo's first season - against doormats. These have been against Ole Miss and Alabama - two games I like for us to win above all others in hoops. They have also put us in a position to wrap up third place in the West with a little help and two more wins in our last four. This streak will most likely come to an end on Wednesday when I travel down to Starkville, but it's nice seeing them be able to celebrate with one another after having not witnessed this since 2005.

8.) After basketball, we meandered over to football for a little while. Count me amongst the folks on the DeRon Furr bandwagon. Sure, it became different when there were defenders and I'm not sure he's game-ready when Chris Todd and Kodi Burns have both been in the fires. However, the guy has the physical tools to be one of the best QBs in Auburn history, and I think he has a supporting cast around him that no one prior to Furr has had. The kid can throw a post better than anyone else I've seen. He's going to end up being the best QB we have sooner than I thought.

9.) In an earlier post, I said that the item atop my Bucket List is to attend one of Tony Franklin's offensive camps. Sunday just reinforced that desire. Practice is so much more fun to watch than it was when I was in school - and this includes the 2004 season. The way Franklin coaches the wide receivers and quarterbacks is incredible compared to what it was like just three years ago under Al Borges. The drills are fast, methodical and fun. The guys seem to enjoy them a lot as well. I didn't stick around for the team drills, but the passing sets were very entertaining.

10.) We're going to be very, very, very, very good this year. "This team is starting to gel into something special," was Tuberville's quote following practice that stood out to me most. The boring games are still going to be very entertaining because of Franklin and his attack. The offensive line is as cohesive a unit I've seen under Tuberville and Hugh Nall. Those guys genuinely care about each other, and I think this will pay dividends in addition to the fast pace we're going to show in games this fall.

11.) We found Auburn's next mic man in the stands at the basketball game. I don't think that there is a single person in the Auburn family circle that can compare to his spirit. He may not know the words to the cheers, but he knows how to taunt and move around with the body God gave him. My dad in his All Auburn, All Orange attire could help out with the cheers. It is said, now let it be done.

12.) Thanks to Andrew for convincing me to come down and more importantly to Taylor, his lovely bride, for allowing us to stay at her grandparents' house as well as for the awesome robe. You know, I honestly feel like everyone who owns a house should also have a robe. I now can go on with my life completely ready for all the tricks of the mortgage trade.

(Editor's note: I did not spend any time watching the defense, but all accounts from Rhoads' quotes in articles are that they're feeling challenged by our offense and are eager to prove that they're still the stars of this team. What's the thing they say about competition breeding success?)

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. I'll even sneak in a quote for you faithful reader(s) out there: "He was always a crazy bird, and I don't even call people birds."

Take it easy and keep living for The Weekend. War Eagle.

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