But when you start to deny his play, you start to deny his character, and when that fails, you start to deny his loyalty to a school that gave him what he valued the most -- a second chance.
"Cam Newton won't return to Auburn, and why would he? They were only a small step in his road to stardom."
You aren't an Auburn fan if you haven't heard that, or at least a somewhat similar statement before.
Cam returned to Auburn last week, where he hung out in the athletic building with some of his former coaches, had lunch with a young Auburn signee, and even paid a visit to a nearby elementary school, a year after his first initial visit. He then took part in a signing in a Huntsville mall with his fellow Heisman winners Bo Jackson and Pat Sullivan, signing for those who were willing to wait in line for several hours.
Woah now! Isn't Cam supposed to be done with Auburn? The NFL rookie of the year cannot somehow be linked with Auburn? That can't be right, can it?!
Well, you read correctly. His return sent Twitter into a frenzy. Fans flocked to meet him and he, more than kindly, took it all in his stride, something he has always done. Nevermind spotting polls asking whether Robert Griffin or Cam Newton will have a better NFL career, or a group of analysts sitting around a table, giving their own reasons why Cam won't succeed every time they hold the precious talking stick. Newton's career is becoming the benchmark.
Cam's time in the spotlight has been an habitual plate of crow. It's been -- and will continue to be -- a give and take process.
He feeds off his critics; his work ethic cannot be questioned, and you can ask any member of the Auburn, or Carolina Panthers football staff and have that statement validated.
He has the potential to be the best quarterback to ever play the game, and he won't stop until he reaches that goal -- and maybe a few Super Bowls along the way, as well.
But by all means, please continue. It's not like everything we've read before is true, is it?
Jon Luke Jacobs pitched a gem as the Auburn baseball team topped Alabama State on Tuesday. The two teams get together again to day at 5 p.m. at Plainsman Park.
A couple of women's basketball players earned SEC postseason honors: Blanche Anderson was named scholar-athlete of the year, and Hasina Muhammad garnered a spot on the all-freshman team.
Men's basketball plays at Alabama tonight, which should prove to be a tough task. The Tigers are shorthanded, and the Tide is fighting for an NCAA Tournament berth. Oh yeah, it's Senior Night in Tuscaloosa, too.
With the 2012 football recruiting class finally complete, here's a look at Auburn's newest potential gridiron heros.
You know the tiger head logo that Auburn fans love so much? Bad news: It turns out that, not only was it originally designed for LSU, but it was created by an Alabama graduate. What a shame.
BREAKING NEWS: SEC fans really like watching SEC football on TV.
The third-ranked women's golf team tied for eighth at the Sugar Bowl Invitational in New Orleans. Marta Sanz placed eighth in the individual competition for her third top 10 finish this season.
Softball continues to climb in the rankings. Auburn is No. 17 in the latest ESPN Poll and No. 19 in the NFCA Coaches Poll.
Women's tennis makes its first appearance in the ITA rankings this year, debuting at No. 66. After a big weekend at the Blue-Gray Classic, the Auburn men have moved up to No. 12.
Anytime an athlete requires the employment of Dr. James Andrews, he or she is probably going to be on the sidelines for a while.
Auburn small forward Allen Payne, who has been playing well lately and is coming off the best game of his career, underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair his torn left lateral meniscus. Should Varez Ward and Chris Denson still be suspended for Wednesday night's game against Alabama, Auburn will be missing four major contributors. (Remember, Josh Langford is still suffering symptoms from his concussion nearly a month ago.) So, who will fill in for the missing four horsemen?
Obviously, Auburn is going into the Alabama game as short-handed as it's ever been under head coach Tony Barbee. What will Auburn look like on Wednesday night? Wallace, Sullivan, Gabriel and Forbes will hold down the guard and forward spots, and Rob Chubb will start at center. Willy Kouassi will probably set a season-high in minutes splitting time at center and power forward to give Chubb and Forbes as much rest as possible. Johnson and Neysmith will almost certainly set career-highs in minutes to give Wallace and Sullivan some time off. With their size, Johnson and Neysmith will probably rotate into the forward positions, too. If Gabriel doesn't get into foul trouble and plays any fewer than 38 minutes, we'll be stunned.
It's certainly going to be tough sledding at Coleman Coliseum. As thin as the Tigers are, they can't afford to have any foul trouble. It's going to take big nights from Chubb, Forbes and Kouassi on the inside and some hot shooting from Gabriel and Sullivan to stay in the game. If Auburn can get those things and some solid minutes from inexperienced players, the Tigers will have a chance against the Tide. If not, the game will be over almost immediately.
Like it or not, that's the hand Auburn has been dealt. Let's hope Barbee can make the best of the cards he has.
Baseball is a team sport, but sometimes individuals stand out and need to be recognized. Here's your stat leaders for the Auburn Baseball team. Team leaders in green, bottom scrapers in red:
You can see a bit of the reasoning behind benching Bobby Andrews this past weekend. Low marks in batting average, slugging percentage, and strikeouts. His speed keeps him in the lineup, but when he doesn't get on base? It puts Auburn in a bind.
Now a look at the area that Auburn needs the most improvement: Pitching. There's a lot to like on this spreadsheet, but a lot that just makes you cringe:
Eesh. Honestly, Zach Blatt is overworked out of the bullpen so far. A double-digit ERA, a full two innings more than any other pitcher, the only reliever to give up a home run, and he's faced only two fewer hitters than Will Kendall, Dillon Ortman, Cory Luckie, Ethan Wallen, and Chase Williamson COMBINED. (28>30). He also has a bit of a control problem, as evident in the four wild pitches. There's talent in the bullpen. It's time to spread the wealth a bit.
As for the starters? Slade Smith has had two rough outings to start the season. Personally, we believe he can came around. However, if he can't, then Jon Luke Jacobs looks more than able to fill the roll. Whether that means Slade goes to the bullpen or a midweek role to find himself, that's up to the coaches.
College and Magnolia contributor Kevin Ives, of Plainsman Parking Lot fame, gives us this week's SEC baseball rankings. In the future, our rankings will be compiled of voting by Kevin and the rest of the College and Magnolia baseball staff.
1. South Carolina -- The champs are the champs until they lose. We'll honestly know how good the Gamecocks are this weekend as they play that weird three-game series against Clemson where they play each game in a different city. One game in Charleston, S.C., one in Columbia, and another in Clemson.
2. Florida -- The Gators have been cruising. Just like Carolina, a real pressure test comes this weekend when they travel to nationally-ranked Miami. 3. Georgia -- The Dawgs have looked impressive, and their pitching staff seems like the real deal. The offense needs some work but these low-scoring affairs seem to play into the Red and Black's hands. 4. Arkansas -- The Hogs haven't had much of a test this year. They've had some close calls against Northwestern State and Valpo. We'll continue to believe in the Hogs until that offense shows signs of slowing down. 5. LSU -- Here's a team in flux. LSU just lost a series to Appalachian State, and in the process, was shutout Saturday and only manage to eek out a single run Sunday. We don't know what the offensive woes are for the Bengals but we're confident they will recover. 6. Ole Miss -- We want to believe in the Rebs. We really do. The opening win against TCU was impressive. The sweep of UNC-Wilmington was nice. We just don't know what team we're watching, a schedule product or the real deal.7. Mississippi State -- The Bullies are the same way as the Rebels. They've looked dominant in their games so far but still dropped a game to Wazzou and needed a walk-off to beat Kansas. 8. Kentucky -- Yum. Yum. Powder puffs make Wildcat fans happy. 9. Tennessee -- This could be the biggest story line of the young season. If the Vols can suddenly become surprise contenders in the East, it means the road to Hoover just got a bit tougher for Auburn.10. Auburn -- The record isn't reflecting it right now, but we still think AU has the talent to compete in the West. The Tigers just need that tipping point to get the ball rolling. 11. Vanderbilt -- Wow. Talk about surprising. Vanderbilt has looked absolutely lost on the weekends. Getting swept at Stanford and home vs Oregon. Thankfully, the Dores have Rhode Island coming to town next. 12. Alabama -- Congrats, Tide, you're back to .500 on the season. You still got swept at home against Florida Atlantic. Curb stomping Arkansas-Pine Bluff doesn't mean you are a great team all of a sudden.
Just like every Auburn fan did over the weekend, Birmingham News columnist Kevin Scarbinsky trolls the Cam Newton haters in his latest column.
The SEC will consider adopting a nine-game conference football schedule, but there isn't much support right now. We're all for it if it will save the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. Frankly, reading about all the problems conference expansion is causing makes us sick.
Since the tale of recruiting is a never-ending story, it's fitting that Auburn had a big day on a random Monday in late February. The Tigers received a commitment from 2013 defensive back Kamryn Melton, and Alex Kozan -- remember him? -- the 4-star offensive lineman out of Colorado, faxed in his National Letter of Intent to play for Auburn next season. Unfortunately, it looks like Stewart Mandel is right. No one wants to play for Auburn. No one.
The status of suspended guards Varez Ward and Chris Denson still isn't certain. If they're both held out of the Alabama game, things could get ugly quickly for the thin Tigers.
Looking at SEC baseball stats, Auburn is doing pretty well on offense, but the Tigers' pitching is not so hot. Looking at the Tigers' results, that isn't much of a surprise.
Jenee Loree picked up three wins last week, and for her efforts she has been named SEC softball pitcher of the week.
The Auburn baseball team hosts Alabama State at 5 p.m. today and Wednesday. The Tigers are looking to ride the momentum from winning the series finale against No. 8 Arizona on Saturday night.
It's been a rough couple of weeks for the Tubervilles. First, Suzanne was in the news. Now, Tommy, the former Auburn football coach, is the subject of a $1.7 million fraud lawsuit.
Spring sports continue this week as basketball finishes up its home schedule and baseball really picks up this weekend by hosting a tournament. We hope to see as many of you as possible at the events this week. War Eagle!
Tuesday, February 28th
Baseball vs. Alabama State, Plainsman Park, 5:00 PM
This is the second Two for Tuesday of the season at Plainsman Park. Tickets are buy one get one free so find a friend and get down to Plainsman Park as the Tigers welcome Alabama State to the Plains.
Wednesday, February 29th
Baseball vs. Alabama State, Plainsman Park, 5:00 PM
Every Wednesday at Plainsman Park is youth night. All youth 12 & under will receive free admission if accompanied by a paying adult. Bring a kid to the park and see if they can rival the legendary “Let’s Go Auburn” kid.
Friday, March 2nd
Women’s Tennis vs. Ole Miss, Yarbrough Tennis Center, 2:00 PM
Leave work early and start a weekend full of Auburn Athletics at the tennis center. With a high of 76, this is the perfect opportunity to work on your pre Spring Break tan. The first 75 fans in attendance will receive free sunglasses. At intermission, FREE pizza will be served. This is an All Auburn, All Orange event.
Baseball vs. Purdue, Plainsman Park, 6:00 PM
Auburn hosts Purdue for the first Foursquare Friday at Plainsman Park. All fans who check in on Foursquare at the game will be entered to win a fabulous prize.
Gymnastics vs. Southern Utah, Auburn Arena, 7:00 PM
There's a lot going on at this meet:
· Two free youth admission with the purchase of one adult admission - Print the Voucher
· “Flip for the Cure” - all fans are encouraged to wear pink to promote breast cancer awareness and general donations will be accepted.
· Pink shaker giveaway (First 750 fans)
· Post-meet autograph session
· Kids Zone Inflatable pop-a-shot, coloring sheets, mini-beam, and more!
· Academy Sports VIP Tiger of the Meet - one lucky fan will be chosen to be the VIP Tiger of the Meet and receive two tickets and a chance to go on the floor and record their experience. Contact markets@auburn.edu to register; must be in 8th grade or younger.
· Auburn University Bookstore T-shirt toss
· Momma G's Golden Ticket - four lucky fans will be selected during the meet to receive a seat upgrade and gift card to Momma G's.
· Marco's Pizza Scream
· Sprayberry Smile Cam
· Niffer's Corn Nugget of the Meet
Saturday, March 3rd
Men's Basketball vs. LSU, Auburn Arena, 1:00 PM
Another game full of special events:
· Travel Mug Giveaway courtesy of Golden Flake (First 1,000 fans)
· Halftime performance by the Air Elite Dunk Team click for video
· Senior Day: Join the team as they honor the 2011-12 Senior Class
· Kids Zone Inflatable pop-a-shot, coloring sheets, airbrush face painter, and more!
· Golden Flake Shootout for $5,000
· Academy Score for More
· Chick-fil-A Parachute Drop
· Texaco Fan Cam
· Kinnucan's T-shirt Toss
· Goodwill Little Tiger Slam Jam
Baseball vs. Charleston Southern, Plainsman Park, 4:00 PM
Following the basketball game, head across the street and enjoy some fresh air at Plainsman Park. Last Saturday, our baseball team upset Arizona, so you don’t want to miss what they might do this Saturday!
Sunday, March 4th
Women’s Tennis vs. Ole Miss, Yarbrough Tennis Center, 2:00 PM
It’s a big SEC matchup at the Yarbrough Tennis Center as the girls take on the Ole Miss Rebel Black Bears. It should be a sunny yet cool day, so come out and enjoy a break from this week’s high temperatures. The first 75 fans in attendance will get free water bottles. FREE pizza will be served at intermission.
Baseball vs. Southern Miss, Plainsman Park, 3:00 PM
It’s the first Family Day of the season at Plainsman Park. If you enter the promo “FAMILY” when buying three tickets online, you will receive a fourth ticket FREE. Anyone who brings a ticket from Saturday’s basketball game will also earn free admission to the game. Following the last out, the team will hold an autograph signing for the fans.
