For someone who doesn’t consider himself the most avid baseball fan, I certainly dodged an obstacle or two this past week trying to take in Auburn’s SEC Baseball games in Hoover. First there was Wednesday’s episode with the traffic (Read Here), and Friday, there was the small matter of a two-hour electrical storm, which nearly sent this WarEagleTales reporter right back from whence he came.

After arriving at Regions Park around 3 p.m., and finding a nice, convenient parking spot (which unlike Wednesday’s spot was actually within a binocular’s view of the stadium), the weather took an immediate turn for the worse. The skies went dark, the wind kicked up, and oh, what’s that? Lightning? Guess we’d better hurry inside then! And find our seats among the metal bleachers!

Then, as we were actually scurrying across the parking lot toward the ticket booth, a passing fan — heading, oddly, in the opposite direction — informed us that play had been suspended due to the weather and that it wouldn’t resume before 3:45.

Undaunted — or unthinking one — we bought our tickets anyway and decided to use the weather delay as an opportunity to partake of the park’s various culinary delights, like its healthy Grilled Chicken Sandwich! (Note to self: You’re at a baseball game. Not a health spa. Next time, go for the hot dog!)

Everyone else more or less did the same thing (though presumably without having made the error of selecting that wimpy lettuce sandwich), milling about inside the corridors until the skies eventually cleared and that ubiquitous Sports-Stadium-Voice-Guy informed us that the game would be starting at 4:55 p.m. Which, in fact, it did.

Of course, the game itself didn’t exactly turn out the way we Auburn fans would’ve liked, but as one optimistic fan pointed out, the early exit should at least have granted the team some extra time to recuperate before the NCAA Regionals. And speaking for myself, after two days of battling traffic and lightning, I was ready for a break as well.

In any case, the NCAA Baseball Championship is now on deck! First-round match-ups will be announced on Monday, May 31, at 11:30 a.m.

War Eagle!

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WarEagleTales was in attendance at Auburn’s first round game of the SEC Baseball Tournament Wednesday morning — well, okay, to be honest, that’s only technically correct. The truth is we arrived more or less just in time for that most-beloved of baseball traditions, the 7^th-inning stretch.

Which knowledgeable baseball fans know means we walked in just as the crowd started singing that grand ol’ song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” or as was more appropriate in our case, “Take Me Out to the Long Line of Cars Winding at a Snail’s Pace through Suburban Hoover.”

Of course, we weren’t alone. I know this because there were approximately five thousand cars behind us as we’d been directed to park in a remote, grassy field. (Which I for one, didn’t even know existed in the highly-developed environs of Hoover; yet there we were, side by side with all the other frazzled drivers, bedecked in our colored, collegiate attire.)

Thankfully though, the field was within an excellent day-hike’s distance of the ballpark, because I’d been hoping to squeeze in a little cross-city trekking before that tiresome “sporting event.”

In any case, we did in fact witness the last few innings of the game, disappointing as they were. The atmosphere was terrific, but the on-the-field activity less so. And as the game proceeded to unravel before our eyes, I found myself oddly longing for that vast expanse of cars, this time heading home. (Hey, at least there, we’d had air conditioning.)

Oh, and in case, you’re looking for a moral to this tale, well, you may can find it here, on ESPN3.com. Which is exactly where I’ll be watching the next game. Check out Auburn vs. South Carolina. First pitch at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.

War Eagle!

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WarEagleTales was in attendance on Wednesday at the Regions Charity Classic in Hoover, Ala. The annual golf tournament features two days of pro-am golf and normally includes an array of big-time sports names. Check out the pictures we took of Auburn legend Bo Jackson, along with a couple other sports stars. Thursday’s lineup promises another good turnout, with new basketball coach Tony Barbee scheduled to tee off with Charles Barkley. Should be a fun day!

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This past Friday night (May 15, 2009), Pelham High School hosted its spring football game against Jess Lanier High School of Bessemer. The game drew more than its usual amount of interest, due to the participation of three big-time college prospects — all of which are being courted by Auburn. Pelham’s linebacking corps boasts two big-time athletes, in Auburn-commit Jake Holland and heavily-recruited Nigel Terrell, while Jess Lanier has one of the state’s best-rated players in defensive end LaDarius Owens. According to reports, several college coaches were in attendance at the game, including Auburn secondary coach Tommy Thigpen.

Jake Holland (5) and Nigel Terrell (26)

The game itself looked like it might be a defensive battle early — as you might expect with so many highly-rated defensive players. Neither team’s offense was able to establish much in the way of a ground game, though Jess Lanier eventually got things moving thanks to the passing of quarterback Judah Fuller (class of 2010). In fact, Jess Lanier was able to manage two touchdowns before Pelham got on the board in the second quarter with a touchdown of its own. The score stood Jess Lanier 14, Pelham 7, when officials suspended the game due to hazardous weather in the area. That was with about two minutes to go before halftime. It was also the point at which WarEagleTales vacated the premises.

Judah Fuller profile (Scout.com)

In just under two quarters of football, according to my own (very) unofficial tally, Jake Holland (middle linebacker) had three tackles, including one perfect, form tackle that pushed a Jess Lanier running back straight back from where he came. Terrel, playing weakside linebacker, was highly active as well, chalking up four tackles early and just generally flying around. For Jess Lanier, Owens also had four tackles, including perhaps the evening’s most jaw-dropping hit, as he tackled a Pelham running back for a big loss on a sweep play. He also snuffed out a Pelham reverse, causing the ballcarrier to reverse field, resulting in lost yardage. 

LaDarius Owens profile  (Scout.com)

In general, based what I saw, I thought that none of the three guys did anything to hurt himself in the eyes of the coaches that were on hand. They were all active and managed to get involved in a number of stops. Beyond that, I can also see why the summer football camps have become so important in terms of evaluation — considering how much of a team sport football is, it can’t always be easy to assess an individual’s total skill-set in a game atmosphere.

Also, for anyone who hasn’t seen Owens play, I should point out that in the Bessemer scheme, he actually plays on the defensive line as a defensive end. I’m not sure how he projects in college, but I came into the game thinking he’d be playing linebacker.

Finally, both Owens and Holland served as captains for their respective teams.

Pelham Panther Football 

Nigel Terrell profile (Scout.com)

Jake Holland profile (Scout.com)

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