Boston Herald Patriots beat/Birmingham News Crimson Tide beat

So he's trading Nick Saban for Bill Belichick? Wow.

Congrats ... and condolences.

FOS

(By the way, rb, Jupiter Hills called - they want their divots back)

 

Heck of a reporter. I linked up his blog a lot. Isn't Ian from up that way?

 

Pretty big opening at the News, no? I would say that is the biggest beat they have. Ian did a nice job. I have always thought that to be a tough gig. You are at the state's largest paper but the Tuscaloosa News and Cecil Hurt are tough to beat among Alabama fandom.

 

You're right. It's tough to beat an Alabama guy like Cecil.

 

Ty and Slappy, for those us not from around those Alabama parts, what is it about this Cecil guy that makes him so tough to beat and how long as he been covering Alabama?

Does Saban actually like him?
Does the ath dept cater to him because he's with the Tuscaloosa fishwrap?
How did the Birmingham guy that's leaving hold up against him?

 

Good question. I think Cecil has benefited from longevity. He has done it since the early 80's. I think he has a keen sense of just the right time to turn on the coach. In the case of Mike Shula, it was after the loss to Mississippi State in his final year. That was about the same time the money people turned. I am sure Cecil knew that and picked his time perfectly. Cecil rarely, if ever, writes a column that "stirs the pot" in the fans' eyes. He is writing in The Tuscaloosa News so it is pretty easy to write all-Alabama all the time and not have to be thought of as a controversial columnist. I may not have a grasp on his body of work but I don't see the same stuff that John Adams does in Knoxville or Pat Dooley in Gainesville or John Clay in Lexington. I don't work in newspaper but it seems a columnist in a southern college town newspaper is a tough gig to pull off.

As far as Ian goes, I thought he did a terrific job. He was early to the blog game and broke a great deal of news there. I just find that when most of the guys on that beat break news, one of the first reactions is, "is Cecil reporting it?". I don't have numbers to back this up but I think Ian broke more stories on that beat than Cecil during his run. Gentry Estes in Mobile has broken his fair share as well.

ADDITION: Alabama and Auburn fans are a tough bunch. Guys like Kevin Scarbinsky or Ray Melick are always hacking off one set of fans. Cecil never has to worry about that. On the question about being catered to, as long as I remember (until Saban) he arrived at the SEC Media Days in the same vehicle as the coach.

 

One other benefit Cecil has is that his father played football at Alabama, so he's been personally connected with all the old timers and power brokers, from Paul Bryant Jr. to Mal Moore, since he was a kid.

That said, he's a good reporter and an excellent writer. And TW is right in saying that most Alabama fans don't believe something that is being reported until Cecil has it.

As far as breaking news, the T-News generally gets beat on a lot of the day-to-day stuff like minor player personnel changes (e.g., fourth-string middle linebacker decides to transfer), position coach departures and walk-ons getting arrested (possibly by choice). But on the big news --- head-coaching changes, major player news --- they generally are first.

Ian held his own (as does Gentry Estes from Mobile), but only Cecil is able to call the AD or a trustee at home and get them to confirm something major on a regular basis. That's not necessarily right, but that's the way it is on that beat.

 

Hey Ty and Steak, that was great stuff. Thanks for the assessment of Cecil. The fact that his father played at Alabama has to make him a tough guy to deal with in terms of breaking news. Also, the longevity on the beat has got to be tough to deal with.

Sounds like whomever gets this gig will have quite a challenge on their hands.

 

I think so. Long Island maybe. Went to Columbia.

Great guy, very good writer.

Congrats Ian.

 

Adding to Ty and Steak's already dead-on take of Cecil Hurt, I offer this $0.02.

Cecil is in TIGHT with Mal Moore, the Alabama AD, and Steve Townsend. The first one, of course, is a tight-lipped, old-school AD who basically says nothing ever. The anti-Jeremy Foley in every sense (take that every way you can ...)

The latter person is an enigmatic figure at UA. He holds some quasi-strange position with Crimson Tide Sports Marketing, and hasn't been "employed" by UA for a long time. But make no mistake, Steve Townsend is in on almost EVERY major decision that crosses Mal Moore's desk. Steve Townsend was also GREAT friends with Logan Young (as was Moore), and had to pretty much go underground during the NCAA hoopla as a result.

Cross-threading a bit, I *always* wanted to do a profile on Steve Townsend -- unveiling what I really consider to be the ultimate Oz-like man behind the curtain. Alas, though, attempting that story within 200 miles of Tuscaloosa would find you frozen out pretty darn quick.

As for Ian, he is indeed a Northerner. Not speaking for him, but Birmingham was never an end destination. He recently married, and will not be leaving behind a huge trail of bread crumbs in the rear-view mirror. He is a fantastic journalist, though, who thrived in a complex environment on the Alabama beat.

rb

 

Ian's a good guy. Hope this industry can keep up with him.

 

RB, the best story I heard about Steve Townsend was that it was his job to be Logan Young's caddy when he came to Tuscaloosa, to keep him out of trouble.

Also, his office phone number is not listed in the Alabama athletic department directory. You have to call the AD's secretary and get switched over. I think that's to keep track of who he's talking to, but Townsend is famous for not being able to keep his mouth shut.

And JM, I want to say Ian's from Westchester County, though I could be wrong about that. It's definitely somewhere just outside NYC.