Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville to publish three days a week

Delta State must have been pissed.

 

Every weekend does not need two columnists. Even in the football crazy state of Alabama. Let's look.

Michigan vs. Alabama/Auburn vs. Clemson ... needed: 2 (opening weekend, decent games)
Auburn at State/WKU at Alabama ... needed: 1
Alabama at Arkansas/ULM at Auburn ... needed: 1
LSU at Auburn/Fla. Atlantic at Alabama ... needed: 1
Auburn OFF/Ole Miss at Alabama ... needed: 1
Arkansas at Auburn/Alabama OFF ... needed: 1
Alabama at Missouri/Auburn at Ole Miss ... needed: 1 (and that's for Mizzou; Auburn's is a league game, but damn, it's Old Sis)
Alabama at Tennessee/Auburn at Vandy ... needed: 1*
A&M at Auburn/State at Alabama ... needed: 1*
Alabama at LSU/New Mexico State at Auburn ... needed: 1
Texas A&M at Alabama/Georgia at Auburn ... needed: 2 (But honestly, we know that it'll be a Bryant column, so it can be Mitch Albom'd ahead of time)
Western Carolina at Alabama/Alabama A&M at Auburn ... needed: 0
Auburn at Alabama ... needed: 2

* indicates that the argument is realized that what do you do when one of these teams unexpected loses a league games they're not supposed to.

In all honesty, what is the point of the hearing another person's opinion about Auburn beating the break shoes off La.-Monroe? It's crap and too many of those weekends are filled with crap. There are few weekends when it's not clear cut what the biggest game in the state is.

 

Logical move Rusty. However, I think nowadays, people don't need columnist telling them how they should feel about a team or a player.

 

If a columnist is not supposed to go to a football game on Saturday and write his/her opinion on said game and/or team, what would you rather see him/her write about in Sunday's paper during college football season?

 

Aren't you assuming there will be two columnists available? How many will be left when the cuts take effect?

 

I believe they will have "buzz reporters," not columnists, according to what I've read.

 

Plenty of readers have ideas about where their columnist can go. Usually it's the same place.

 

In short, Birmingham's vaunted "Football U" section... one of the prime reasons to buy the paper during the fall season... gets decimated. Yeah. Smart move.

 

Lot of other places to get college football news.

 

Whoaa there Rusty. I agree with your move. I just think that the days of a columnist's opinion shaping the way people think is outdated because of all the technology in today's society. People don't necessarily have to take what a columnist pens down as the final say.

 

Specifics? You have me lost there but as you said, "We still have some racist fools in office," which is what I was alluding to.

 

I'm not saying a columnist shouldn't go. I'm just saying in this model --- which I don't agree with --- if they're going to make Kevin the lede guy, then let him go to the big game and bring in a pinch hitter when it's needed.

If you've got multiple guys, then let the other guy write a longer sidebar. Write look ahead things. Let that extra guy come back with a bigger piece for the Monday paper, because God knows the Monday papers around the state often suffer with the way they structure the Sunday availability.

The way most columnists look at the games, especially when they're snoozers, is just a waste IMHO.