Monthly Archives: January 2013

Alabama guard Trevor Lacey (5) had 14 points and six rebounds. (AP photo by Vasha Hunt of Alabama Media Group)

–Alabama isn’t a great team by any means, but the Tide has a chance to put together a pretty good first half of the season. The next two games are winnable even though they’re on the road — at Vanderbilt (8-11, 2-5 SEC) on Saturday and at Auburn (2-5, 8-12) on Wednesday.

The Crimson Tide (13-7, 5-2) is tied with Kentucky for third place in the league. The league might get as few as three bids to the NCAA tournament, so for Alabama to have any hope at all, it needs a good, long win streak in the conference.

–Alabama hasn’t scored more than 59 points in the last four games. It’s hard to imagine the Tide can keep winning with point totals like that, even though the players work hard on defense. If this team could score a little more, it could win a lot more. Of the seven losses, Alabama needed to score only 67 to win four of them.

–Rodney Cooper played only 16 minutes and didn’t score. Alabama coach Anthony Grant said Cooper isn’t in trouble or hurt. Instead, Grant liked the lineup Alabama had on the court and Cooper didn’t play much because of “coach’s decision.”

–Alabama freshman forward Devonta Pollard (seven points, seven rebounds) contributed in his 18 minutes. Maybe Pollard could give the Tide more time on the court at the expense of Cooper.

–Moussa Gueye, the 7-foot-0 junior, keeps improving inside. He finished with three points, seven rebounds and four blocks. He committed three fouls.

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The University of Alabama has released two cease-and-desist letters to a Fultondale-based supplement company featured in a Sports Illustrated story.

According to Sports Illustrated, some Alabama football players listened to a presentation by one of the owners of S.W.A.T.S. — Sports with Alternatives to Steroids — two nights before beating LSU in the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 9, 2012.

The SI report was released online Tuesday and the print publication is set to come out Monday. The report says Christopher Key, one of two owners of S.W.A.T.S. spoke to the players about the effect cellphones inside the Superdome would have on their energy level. He was promoting stickers he claimed would negate the effects of cellphone frequencies. He also touted “negative water” to help with hydration and deer antler spray. The report quotes experts debunking any of this would work.

The story names three Alabama players as attending the meeting: linebackers Adrian Hubbard and Alex Watkins and defensive lineman Quinton Dial. All three played in the game, although none of them started or made a tackle.

The university released to selected media organizations the two cease-and-desist letters, which were published online.

Jonathan Bowling of Alabama’s compliance office sent the first letter March 30, 2009, telling S.W.A.T.S. co-owner Mitch Ross his company could not use the name or likeness of current student-athletes for sale or advertising. Bowling wrote doing so “without his or her knowledge or permission can jeopardize the student-athlete’s eligibility to participate in intercollegiate athletics.”

The second letter was sent Oct. 31, 2012, by email from Matt Self of the Alabama compliance office to Key.

It refers to “several YouTube videos, implying contact with and use of your products by University of Alabama student-athletes.” It also refers to Keys apparently providing discounted or free samples of his products.

Self mentions NCAA Bylaw 16.02.3, which deals with extra benefits: “This includes any benefits or discount that is not available to the public at large.”

The Sports Illustrated report mentions a YouTube video in which Watkins promotes products by S.W.A.T.S., although it didn’t come up in a search of YouTube on Tuesday night.

A news release by Sports Illustrated calls the report, written by senior writers David Epstein and George Dohrmann, “Snake Oil for Sale — and the Athletes Who, Science Be Damned, Think It Might Work.”

The report claims NFL linebackers Ray Lewis and Shawne Merriman, pro golfer Vijay Singh, NFL defensive end Richard Seymour, former major league outfielder Johnny Damon, and former NFL running back Jamal Lewis have used S.W.A.T.S.’s products.

Ross and Key reportedly recorded phone calls and meetings with their clients and shared them with Epstein and Dohrmann, including the Jan. 7, 2012, meeting with some Alabama players and family members.

According to the release from Sports Illustrated, David Vobora, an NFL linebacker for four years with St. Louis and Seattle, failed a test in June 2009 for methyltestosterone and was suspended for four games. He sued S.W.A.T.S. and won a judgement in 2011 for $5.4 million.

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Another poll, another No. 1 ranking for Alabama’s softball team, which is the defending national champion.

The Crimson Tide landed in the top spot for the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate poll. Alabama received 13 of 20 first-place votes, while No. 2 Oklahoma got the remaining seven votes for the top spot. The Sooners finished runner-up to Alabama last season.

California is third, while Arizona State fourth and Tennessee fifth.

The National Fast Pitch Coaches Association/USA Today poll was released last week with Alabama at No. 1.

Also, the SEC released its preseason all-league team, and three Crimson Tide players made it, including senior Kayla Braud and juniors Jackie Traina and Kaila Hunt.

Braud is a two-time NFCA All-America selection and three-time All-SEC performer. She enters the season ranks second in Alabama history in batting average (.427), on-base percentage (.507) and stolen bases (144).

Traina, a two-time All-American and the reigning SEC pitcher of the year, led the country with 42 wins in 2012. Traina set the single season school records with 361 strikeouts along her 42 wins.

Hunt led the league with 21 home runs and 77 RBI en route to earning All-America honors last season.

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