Just a reminder, we'll be switching over to the new platform sometime this evening. The blog will likely be down for a fairly extended amount of time sometime tonight, but don't worry, it's supposed to be. See y'all tomorrow.

The whole Sports Blog Nation group is getting an upgrade to a new blogging platform and we're up this week. What does that mean? Well, come Thursday night the site will be down for a little while, so don't panic. It just means that things are going to be a little different around here Friday morning. Not crazy different, of course, but there will be quite a few new features that we're all going to have to learn and get used to but that will really make this blog a lot more fun for the authors and readers. Go check out Burnt Ornage Nation for a preview of how things are going to look, and while you are there do one thing; claim your account! The account you use to log in here at RBR or at any other SBN blogs will need to be reclaimed, but the good news is you'll only have to do it once since the accounts are now network wide. That means you can now go and comment away at any other SBN blog without having to sign up for individual accounts on each, but that doesn't mean you can go around being a jerk on rival blogs and start up a flame war or anything because you can be banned on individual blogs just like always. To claim your old account, just go over to BON and "sign up" with the username and password you use here. It's just that easy.

[editor's note, by Nico]

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, but there are many great "behind the scenes" things happening here at RBR. This upgrade is one of them and we'll also have another exciting announcement for you all very soon. Seriously, y'all are going to freak when we announce this other thing. I mean, FREAK OUT (in a good way of course.) We'll probably make that announcement in a week, so hold onto your hats. I promise it'll be worth the wait and that you'll understand why production has been so slow around here lately (in addition to finals and work.) I can't believe we've kept this under wraps actually, but we want it to be a big surprise. I just couldn't wait any longer and had to at least tell you all that something really awesome is coming.

The folks over at Bamanation.net tipped us off to a YouTube video purporting to be a pro-Alabama montage of the recent top ranked recruiting class. I'm not going to post the video on RBR for reasons that should become readily apparent, but you can go here to view it and see why they (and we) are so disgusted. At about the :27 mark you'll see Alabama recruit Barrett Jones photoshopped into KKK garb with a script A on the hood in front of a rebel flag reading "Alabama Pride/Roll Tide." The rest of the video is an undoctored montage of the other white players Saban signed this season, apparently trying to insinuate that Alabama fans are so excited about this class and the future of Alabama football because of the white players that were signed. Now, if it were simply a video making fun of Alabama football, Alabama fans, or some of the more embarassing losses over the last few seasons, then I'd shrug it off because that's all fair game, but the photoshopping of Jones into a hood and robe is beyond the pale and this video needs to come down now. You can flag it as inappropriate if you are a registered member of YouTube (it's free and takes only a few seconds to do), so I'll join with Bama Nation in encouraging all of you to do so and let's see if they'll do something about it. I flagged it under "Hateful or Abusive Content/Promotes Hatred or Violence" and entered a note expressing my outrage at the inclusion of the KKK photoshop, so hopefully if enough of us do the same they'll be forced to remove the video. Also, for any rival fans that want to start up a bunch of shit in the comments about "that's how u bammers reely feel!!!11", please note that the user who uploaded the video's avatar is a USC helmet.

Update [2008-4-26 22:25:5 by Todd]:

Just looked at the user who posted the video's profile, and he has another (far less offensive) anti-Alabama video as well as one that lists the top ten helmets in college football. Who's in at #1? LSU. So he's probably just another sour grapes LSU fan pissed that Saban built their program into a national powerhouse dared to return to the SEC but not to them. Whoever he is, though, the photoshopping of Barret Jones crosses the line from anti-Alabama/Saban sentiment to reckless slander against a high school kid, and the video has to go.

Update [2008-4-27 0:48:17 by Todd]:

Here's a real recruiting video, complete with Sweet Home Alabama themed rap that has more awesome lines than I can catalog here.

Coach Jay Seawell (left) and Michael Thompson on the green

Even though we are first and foremost a football blog, we do hope for the success of Crimson Tide athletics across the board. We would be remiss if we failed to mention that the men's golf team won the SEC Championship on Sunday. In addition to the team title, senior Michael Thompson was the individual champion. A hearty congrats to the golf team, Michael Thompson and coach Jay Seawell. Next up for the number 1 ranked team are the NCAA East Regionals in Chattanooga on May 17th.

In some very sad news, former Alabama linebacker Victor Ellis has passed away. He was 28.

I'm sure you all remember Victor as a 'Bama linebacker in the late 1990's and early 2000's. After graduating from Alabama in 2002, he was working for the university until several months ago when he was surprisingly diagnosed with a very rare and deadly form of cancer, and was told by doctors that he had a mere few months to live. Victor fought hard to the end, but ultimately succumbed to cancer tonight. Arrangements are apparently being made in Chattanooga, Ellis' hometown.

If you have a few bucks to spare, I urge you to donate them to the Victor Ellis Fund for Cancer Research.

We here at RBR would like to offer our most sincere congratulations to Jay Barker on his recent engagement to country singer Sara Evans. Well done, sir.

Well done, indeed.

So here's the skinny, kids. OTS is on spring break and I'm swamped at work, so since the football team isn't practicing and the basketball team's season is over, it looks like this week will be entirely devoted to an RBR Dance Party!

Okay, maybe not just an RBR Dance-a-thon all week, but don't expect much more than the Word of the Day, a baseball update, and lots of YouTubes of old people dancing and other general tomfoolery. Plus, there's an academic scandal a brewing for our sanctimonious friends up north, so stay tuned for the fallout from that, and haha.

Even though I was going to let sleeping dogs lie, I figured now would be a good time to pile on the Wolverines since kleph sent us a link to this article which finds hockey scholarships are generally more valuable than football and basketball scholarships, which means that a school like Michigan, one that profits greatly from it's football program, is rewarding the fine upstanding young men that generate the lion's share of the athletic department's revenue by giving all that dirty profit to the hockey team, which doesn't even generate as much revenue as the basketball team. Say it with me, kids....Red Berenson is the REAL snake oil salesman around these parts!

I'm completely swamped right now (this is actually the first time I've been near my computer since posting the Word of the Day earlier), so thankfully the Tide doesn't play until 6:30 tonight. I'll get up a thread for it later, but for now head on over to A Sea of Blue for all your tournament coverage needs.

And since it's one of those days, a bonus Snow for MY benefit only. All you haters? Suck it.

I'm sure many of you have heard about Alabama Cheerleader Meg Ingram's battle with brain cancer. Ms. Ingram was diagnosed with a brain tumor in August of '06, yet was still able to cheer in two football games that season and at basketball games and gymnastics meets in '07 before being diagnosed with another tumor, this time inoperable. Sadly, Miss Ingram passed away this morning in her native Huntsville. Our most sincere condolences to her family and friends, and if you're the praying type spare a few for them in the coming weeks.

[editor's note, by Nico]
Link fixed

With Art Briles stepping down at Houston to become the new head coach for Baylor (seriously, Art? Baylor? That's where coaches go to die...), apparently our own Major Applewhite is a strong candidate to replace him. The Huntsville Times reports that he has been contacted by Houston, but nothing further. Personally, I think that's kind of crazy. Applewhite has all the upside and potential of a young OC, but I still think he has a lot to learn (and I think this season lends some creedence to that) about being a play caller at a big time program. And if he isn't quite there yet as an assistant, what makes Houston think he's ready to be a head coach? If he leaves to take the Houston job, I'll wish him the best of luck, but I think he'd be better off staying put and learning for a few more years.