I recall the first time I visited Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn. It was 1958 and I was with my high school’s track team for a meet.

It was Cliff Hare Stadium back then, home of the 1957 National Football Champions, but the North end zone was still a grassy knoll. The South end was awaiting the approval that had been given to close it in, make the stadium a horseshoe and eliminate the bleachers used there for football games. The stadium seated just over 30,000 compared to 87,451 today, and is now one of the Top 10 college football stadiums in the Nation in seating capacity.

I freely admit that I enjoy football and most other sports and have season tickets for Auburn football, but the game isn’t the same as days past. Coaching salaries are out of kilter. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons coaches are passed around like cookies on a tray. Administrations sample until they think they’ve found the right flavor, and then once the flavor sours, it is quickly discarded. We’ll never see many more tenures like Shug Jordan’s or Bear Bryant’s. Players are brought or bought like raffle tickets, hoping one out of 10 will perform. And fans, well there’s Harvey Updyke, but most all fans have a regional or some other type of bias, hopefully not as extreme.

Then there’s the recruiting of players and the payoffs from alumni at the outset for the sake of the university, then the buying and trading of agents at the end, all of which is aimed to get a high fee for the agent and salary for the player if he gets a pro contact.

Then there are the attitudes. I fully understand that a student is provided a scholarship in return for his talent as a recruit. But do the coaches fully understand that? An Auburn assistant coach, Ellis Johnson, was quoted in the media last week making an example out of a student athlete for attending one of his classes which conflicts with football practice, something of which the coach should have been fully aware.

Jake Holland, the student, is a returning senior linebacker. His football grading sheets indicate he is the most experienced linebacker coming back for this season. Jake’s sin; he has missed some practices and meetings because of a required class for his science curriculum, which is only offered at the same time as morning football practice.

Here’s the comment Johnson made to The Montgomery Advertiser:

“We’ve got to get it to where we don’t have guys missing meetings in classes,” Johnson said. “That’s very important, that’s why they’re here. But when the game’s over on Saturday, nobody asks you what classes they went to the week before.

“We’ve got to get it to where they’re going to be on the practice field, they’re going to be in the film sessions, and they’re going to be there on Saturday ready to play winning football in the Southeastern Conference. He’s been hampered quite a bit. I’ve told him somebody’s going to have to address it to have a shot to really be competitive for that top job.”

I frankly call this comment to the press by Johnson uncalled for, over the top and inexcusable. The kid obviously has been given permission to attend this required class. This is a good example of why the tone of both high school and college sports must be tamped down. If he had a problem with the player going to class, the coach should have handled this matter internally, not in the media.

Regions Park revives Birmingham baseball

The new Regions Ballpark opened in downtown Birmingham last week, bringing Barons Baseball back home from a 25-year hiatus in Hoover after leaving the legendary confines of Rickwood Field.

It’s nice, but will never replace Rickwood, the place where I watched my first professional baseball game. It was the Southern Association All-Star game on July 19, 1955, featuring the Barons versus the all stars from the rest of the league. The format at that time was the league-leading team at mid-season versus the all-stars from the rest of the league. Over 20,000 fans packed into the ballpark which seated only 14,500. Bleachers had to be erected beyond the outfield fence.

The all-stars defeated the Barons 10-5 as Chattanooga Lookout outfielder Jim Lemon went 4-for-5, slamming four home runs and driving in seven runs. Lemon is one of only 130 players in American Baseball to hit four homers in a game.

Don’t give away Children’s First money

Legislation that would let the governor control an estimated $22 million of Children’s First money for use in the General Fund was passed by a House Committee last week.

The money is part of an old settlement with tobacco companies, and is supposed to go into the trust fund for use by agencies that work to prevent child abuse and neglect and support foster homes.

Bob Martin is editor and publisher of The Montgomery Independent. Email him at: bob@montgomeryindependent.com