Scooter Hobbs covers LSU football, basketball, and baseball. http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ HOOVER, Ala. — It was NOT Les Miles’ fault. Honestly. Not this time. An interview with ESPNU ran a tad long. But when the clock ticked a minute or two past the start of LSU coach’s scheduled session with newpaper types at Southeastern Conference Media Days, the jokes began. “You know Les,” one wit said. “Time management issues.” Just outside the massive ballroom, the continuous loop on the conference’s video screen seemed to be forever playing the madcap finish to last year’s hectic Ole Miss game ... when the clock infamously ran out on Miles and the Tigers. But if Miles is on the coaching hot seat this year — which had been generally agreed upon by the media horde here in the two active days before his arrival — he wasn’t letting on. “I’m very fortunate to have a good contract,” Miles said diplomatically. “I don’t think that’s the issue. I think the issue is preparing my football team.” http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/read.php?c=2206 HOOVER, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference’s second most favorite trash-talking factoid to toss around these days is that three different teams from its brood have won the last four football national championships. The most favorite, apparently, is that Little Lord Lane Kiffin is now in the Pac 10 — and not in SEC Commissioner Mike Slive’s hair — though they rarely mention the former Tennessee coach by exact name anymore. But the diversity involved in the four straight BCS championships, now that’s one they like to shout out as loud as they possibly can. Hoping, perhaps, nobody looks behind the curtain — where Nick Saban and Urban Meyer seem to be pulling all the levers. By quirk of the draw, both Florida and Alabama were up on the first session of this year’s Media Days excess, and there were a good many in the congregation who checked out shortly after Meyer and Saban had left the building. http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/read.php?c=2205 HOOVER, Ala. - Just when the SEC media days was about to turn into a way-too-serious pulpit for eradicating pimps and predators and agents from college football by the end of the week ... Along comes Vanderbilt. For a breath of fresh air. Vandy - stodgy, old tweed-coat, upper-crust, one-day-you'll-work-for-us Vanderbilt - done gone and hired Jerry Clower as its head ball coach. Suddenly - I'm telling you - the Commodores have a coach even funnier than their traditional football follies. Robbie Caldwell, I think he said his name actually was. http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/read.php?c=2203 HOOVER, Ala. - Oh, for more innocent times. A year ago here at the Southeastern Conference's Media Days, the hot topic for coach-grilling was who among them kept Tim Tebow from being the unanimous choice as the league's preseason all-conference quarterback. South Carolina's Steve Spurrier eventually confessed to that crime. This year's gala is dominated by the SEC's Agent-Gate, with far more serious questions centering around who was and who wasn't at a posh, allegedly agent-sponsored South Beach party in Miami last May. The NCAA is investigating the gathering, reportedly focusing on Alabama defensive end Marcel Dareus, South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders, along with at least two North Carolina players. http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/read.php?c=2202 HOOVER, Ala. — Admittedly it’s not a scientific poll. But a random sampling of the Crimson mob in the Wynfrey Hotel lobby, down at the foot of the SEC’s most famous escalator, makes it pretty clear. They were mostly straining for a glimpse of college football’s rock star, Nick Saban, but were not one bit hesitant to announce the new rules in effect. Mainly, Roll Tide. And also, All Hail Nick. But mostly the Alabama program, they tell you, with St. Nick as the infallible boss, has already lost its last football game, and anybody who doesn’t like it can go straight to the Motor City Bowl. http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/read.php?c=2201 HOOVER, Ala. — Alabama coach Nick Saban is madder than an Urban Meyer, and neither one of them seems willing to take it much longer. There’s trouble right here in the Southeastern Conference, and much of it, to judge by Wednesday’s opening session of media days, centers around unsavory agents. Or “pimps,” as Saban, the Alabama coach, called them. “It’s an epidemic right now,” said Meyer, adding that he spends a lot of futile time trying to keep unscrupulous agents away from his Florida players. The latest outbreak came to light just before this high-profile event with allegations that Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus, South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders and several North Carolina players had attended an agent’s party in Miami’s ultra-trendy South Beach. http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/read.php?c=2200 WESTLAKE — Les Miles really needs for the LSU football season to get here. The summer banquet circuit isn’t what it used to be. Miles’ “Tiger Tour” is winding down for this season, and not a moment too soon either. LSU fans aren’t expecting much from football this year, but apparently they’re demanding it anyway. The annual affair made its local stop at the Isle of Capri Thursday, with ticket sales down and cynicism up and theories all over the map. For most of the last decade these LSU whistle stops have been little more than a good, mid-summer excuse for a pep rally to tide fans over until September. Those who attended Thursday seemed to be there more from obligation than in excited anticipation. The coach’s words seemed a little less likely to spark standing ovations and spontaneous hosanas. Never mind that most of college football would lie, barter, cheat and steal for even the LSU records of the last two “down” seasons. http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/read.php?c=2199 College football can now step back and take a deep breath. Thank you, Texas, it’s nice to see some responsible adults finally show up at the playground. Frankly, given the way the Egos of Texas are always upon us, the Longhorns would not have been my first choice for sanity in this summer mosh pit. But you take it where you can get it, I suppose, even if it’s from the pretty girl who seemingly never tires of the attention and flirtation. Basically, it was encouraging to hear Pac 10 Commissioner Larry Scott, probably not believing what he was saying, nevertheless bite his lip and announce that Texas had turned down his conference’s generous offer to join them, which was a “done deal” as recently as his lunch break. That’s the latest. If the last week has taught us anything, it’s that that could change again in the next minute or the next time the wind shifts. Apparently “done deal” rumors aren’t what they used to be these days, hardly worth the cyberspace they’re born in. http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/read.php?c=2198 And now for something totally different ... LSU is in the NCAA baseball tournament again — duh — but the Tigers will be on foreign turf this afternoon when they open against Cal Irvine in the Los Angeles regional. The game will be televised by Cox Sports, as will the regional’s 8 p.m. game between top-seeded UCLA and No. 4 seed Kent State. It’s LSU’s first road trip for a regional since 1989, but the Tigers aren’t complaining after teetering on the brink of missing the tournament completely with a late swoon to finish the regular season. Revitalized by 4-0 run to win the Southeastern Conference tournament last week, the defending national champions have vowed to pick up where they left off last year. “It gave us a ton of confidence,” said catcher Micah Gibbs of winning the conference tournament in Hoover, Ala. “We have always been a really good tournament and postseason team. Rankings don’t mean anything anymore.” http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/read.php?c=2197 No doubt you’ve heard tell ’bout the story about man named Jed. That poor mountaineer, the one what barely kept his family fed. Then there was that day he was shooting at some food, remember? And up through the ground came a-bubbling crude? Oil, that is. Probably not a good time to bring it up, but at the time it was considered a good thing, no lawsuits or finger-pointing or FEMA or very gooey fish floating around. Texas Tea, they called it back in the day, Black Gold, and nobody much worried about getting it plugged up. It made ol’ Jed a mighty rich man, is all it did, and the kinfolk said, Jed, move away from there. Said Californ-ie was the place he ought to be, and danged if he didn’t load up that truck and move to Beverly. Hills, that is. You know the drill, swimming pools, movie stars ... Entertainment Tonight. http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/ http://www.tigerroar.com/columns/read.php?c=2196