Wow… It’s just after 1:00 a.m. Monday morning, and Tuscaloosa News is reporting Mike Shula has been fired as Alabama’s head coach.

I hoped for it, but didn’t think it’d happen. I like Shula as an individual, but he wasn’t cut out for the job.

So… Who’s our new coach? Spurrier? Saban?

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

Yes, it’s a day early, but I won’t be thinking about this blog for the next few days. I know I don’t post daily, so you probably won’t even miss it.

I’ve got to work on Turkey Day, but I’ve got a three-day weekend after that. My plan is to sleep in Friday, then we’re heading to Mom’s place Saturday morning. I’ll head to the in-laws tomorrow night for T-Day dinner, and then I’ll come home while Amy gets up early to go shopping (or whatever she’s doing).

Anyhow, remember to be thankful for all you’ve been blessed with. There’s always someone worse off than you are.

First of all, let me say I was at the Iron Bowl, and I wasn’t upset Auburn won again. Will it have an impact on Shula’s future?

That’s the rumor flying around radio and chat boards right now. Many are saying the Board of Trustees has met and decided Shula will not return next year. Even Finebaum this afternoon was “90 percent” sure Shula’s as good as gone.

Now, everyone has an opinion. There’s no need for me to dive into that old saying about rear ends and opinions. Rumors fly and they disappear. However, if Finebaum’s hinting at it, I’d put a small dose of credibility into it.

Here’s the thing: The Board can’t fire Shula. They can only make a recommendation to the president and AD. They voted to keep Mike Price, but Dr. Robert Witt walked him to the chopping block.

Who knows what will happen. Interesting times are ahead once again for Bama. Can they just get a good coach in there and keep him for a while?

Please?

The big news of the day seems to be people waiting in line for the new PlayStation 3. Are they crazy for being in line for a couple of days? Not really.

Some of the reports I heard today came from college kids lined up outside the stores. The best part is many of them are not wanting the system for themselves. They’re going to resell it on eBay.

Why wait? Because over the last few days, eBay buyers have been bidding upward of $2,500 for these systems. Yep. A $600 system for $2,500.

That’s the smart portion of waiting two days in the cold. However, the buyers on eBay are pretty dumb sometimes. Here’s where patience pays off.

Remember the Xbox 360 shortage last year? I was certainly one of the many who wanted to get my hands on it. I didn’t go on eBay to get mine though. I played it smart.

When my family and friends asked me what I wanted for Christmas last year, I told them cash and Best Buy gift cards. My master plan was in motion. I was going to get the money and basically have someone else pay for my 360.

Fast forward to the beginning of February 2006. It just so happens I did get enough in Christmas gifts to buy my system. I walked into Best Buy one morning while they were still having the shortage, and I asked about the next shipment.

The employee graciously said, “Be here at 10:00 tomorrow morning. We’ll have about 10 on the floor.” Lo and behold, he was right. I waited outside until the doors opened, and there they were. I picked mine up, and I’ve been in love ever since.

The morale of the story? These systems come out in November, and there’s going to be a shortage right off the bat. I basically got a free 360 for waiting until three months after the debut. Christmas is a beautiful thing (for many more important reasons than just gifts…).

Patience is key if you want one for yourself, but kudos to you guys in line looking to make an insane profit. I hope you walk out with one Friday morning.

To you guys buying one on eBay for that price? Suckers.

With Auburn’s loss today and Arkansas walking all over Tennessee, I guess we’ll all be watching the Razorbacks and Gators play for the SEC title this year (I know they have to win one more game, but they have Mississippi State next week). I couldn’t be happier for the other UA. They came out of nowhere this year to become a powerhouse. Congrats to you guys!

I was reading a pretty good column today by Paul Finebaum (I think I’m one of the few Bama fans that don’t hate him or what he has to say, but that’s neither here nor there). He talks about how the Iron Bowl next week won’t mean a hill of beans to the national audience like it used to. To make matters worse, Ohio State and Michigan face each other at the exact same time.

That especially rings true after Georgia’s win over Auburn. Heck, I knew after Alabama’s loss to MSU last week that I didn’t even want to go back to Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl. Unfortunately, I have to work it, so I have to be there.

I never thought I would want to skip the Iron Bowl (and I’ve been to a few), but this one is worthless to me. The coaching staff has ruined it for me this year. I was talking to a friend who works across the hall from me, and he made some good points about the team being so young (half of the 100+ on the roster are freshmen).

He’s not exactly ready to hang it up on Shula, but I just can’t feel the same way. I remember being a student Shula’s first year there. I remember the electricity and relief everyone had when he was hired in that town. We had just been through Dennis Franchiphoney and Mike Price, and he was a breath of fresh air.

Now, a lot of us don’t want him there any longer. I don’t need to go into all this again. I’ve written and vented enough. Heck, as I write this, Bama and LSU are 10 minutes away from the end of the game, and I’m emotionally numb. I knew LSU would kill them, so I’m not mad. I do hope, however, there’s enough anger elsewhere that someone will finally make a change.