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8 JUN 04: ICE IS NICE

Monday night offered me an interesting choice: go to the RiverCenter and watch the national tour of the award-winning musical "Rent" - or stay home and watch the seventh game of hockey's Stanley Cup Finals. I hereby invite all high school drama clubs to e-mail me, when you decide to put "Rent" on your schedule.

The Tampa Bay Lightning won a thrilling seventh game 2-1 over Calgary, and won their first Stanley Cup. Normally I wouldn't mention this here - but if recent sports history repeats itself, you should be able to buy Tampa Bay merchandise on the WRBL and Opelika-Auburn News web sites sometime today.

(The last time the Calgary Flames were in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1989, an Atlanta radio station broadcast the games because the Flames used to play there. I don't think that happened this year - because even with the Thrashers, it seems
fewer people care.)

In a way, the final day of the N.H.L. hockey post-season was the first day of a new era for the Columbus Cottonmouths. The Southeast Hockey League announced a commitment for the Snakes to play beginning this fall. If this is REALLY a "Southeast" league, we want all the players to learn to say y'all.

As of now, the Southeast Hockey League has six teams committed for next season. This past year, it had only four -- but probably still had seemingly endless rounds of playoffs.

At least one team in the SEHL would be familiar to the Cottonmouths. The "Huntsville Channel Cats" were part of the Central Hockey League several years ago. One team in Columbus hopes to copy them -- but so far, cable TV has no "Cats Channel."

The list of current SEHL franchises includes teams in Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile - but NOT Montgomery. If you want to see slick action there, you have to settle for the Alabama Legislature.

Meanwhile, Monday was another day of change at Auburn University. First the men's basketball coach was fired. Now the head baseball coach is gone. Who would have guessed last fall that Tommy Tuberville would wind up looking like Methuselah?

Interim President Ed Richardson showed Coach Steve Renfroe the clubhouse door, after Auburn's baseball team failed to make even the Southeastern Conference tournament. This has to concern many of the university instructors. If most of their students fail next fall, they might be dismissed as well.

(The way Ed Richardson is cleaning out Auburn athletics, he might decide to renovate Jordan-Hare Stadium this summer and move the home football games to Beauregard.)

Steve Renfroe had a winning record in four years at Auburn - but the last straw apparently came when the Tigers lost their last five series of the season. With that recent showing, Renfroe may have a future coaching at Spencer High School.

While Alabama and Auburn both missed the S.E.C. and N.C.A.A. baseball tournaments, Georgia and Georgia Tech are preparing to meet in the "super-regionals." With a name like that, it's only fitting that they'll play in Atlanta - a short drive from the Cartoon Network.

Did you read how Mississippi State's baseball coach explained recent sports success by Georgia and Georgia Tech? Ron Polk claims it's all because Georgia offers HOPE scholarships, while other Southern states don't. OK, who's giving secret money to Auburn's national champion swimming teams?

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© 2003-04 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.