Oct 07, 2024

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The Alabama football team's 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday came with a very small consolation prize: a $100,000 payment from Vanderbilt University for its fans rushing the field afterward, reports AL.com's Matt Stahl.

That's the current SEC fine for a first offense to the league's field-entry rule. It's Vanderbilt's "first offense" because the league increased the fines and reset its count last year. Commodores fans also rushed the field in 2022 after a win over the University of Florida (or maybe they were celebrating because the Florida fans were leaving the stadium. We can't be sure.)

The current scale is this: For a first offense you are fined $100,000; for a second offense, $250,000; after that, $500,000 for each offense.

If the opponent is a non-conference team, the money goes to the SEC's post-graduate scholarship fund. If the opponent is a fellow SEC team, the money goes to the opponent.

Which is why Alabama is coming away with an extra $100,000.

Arkansas fans also earned its school an SEC fine this past weekend by rushing the field after the Razorbacks' win over Tennessee. That one cost $250,000 because Arkansas fans also stormed the court after a men's basketball win over Duke last November.

We haven't had a story lately about Huntsville being awesome, so here's one that follows a recent update about our state ranking high on a list of business-friendly states:

A new ranking of entrepreneurship potential ranked Huntsville 10th among 136 metro areas, reports AL.com's John R. Roby.

The market study was by CoworkingCafe. They took a look at GDP, labor costs and the number of business applications. No. 1 was Scottsdale, Ariz., No. 2 was Miami and No. 3 was Atlanta. Other Alabama cities making the Top 100 were Montgomery at 76, Mobile at 80 and Birmingham at 94.

Eric Esch of Jasper, who's now 57 years old, is making noise about wanting to fight Mike Tyson. That's according to a story veteran TV sports journalist Rick Karle wrote for AL.com.

Eric Esch became a bit of a sensation a few decades ago as a portly boxer fighting four-round bouts. If you remember him, you probably know him as Butterbean.

Karle writes that a couple years ago Butterbean weighed over 500 pounds and couldn't even stand up. He's dropped 220 pounds (that's like losing a fullback), weighs in under 300 pounds and wants a piece of Tyson.

Butterbean apparently is already in promotion mode. Of Tyson he said: “I saw Mike about three weeks ago, and he looked pregnant. I would knock him out. He has no chin.”

That's right, Butterbean is fat-shaming the 58-year-old former champ.

Tyson, for what it's worth, fought Roy Jones Jr. to an eight-round draw in 2020.

It's our favorite way to review a week's worth of news. Here are the answers everyone selected (and which ones were correct):

What are the competitors in the Great Alabama 650 racing on?

The state's waterways (CORRECT) 60.9%

Talladega Superspeedway 22.7%

Dirt tracks 12.9%

I-65 South 3.6%

There was an election to fill a vacant Alabama State House seat to represent parts of Birmingham, Fairfield, Homewood and Mountain Brook. What was the estimated turnout?

Five percent (CORRECT) 64.0%

Ten percent 18.2%

Twenty five percent 14.7%

Forty five percent 3.1%

What web site blocked access to Alabama users because of a law that would've required it to verify users' ages?

Pornhub (CORRECT) 68.0%

DraftKings 16.9%

OnlineLiquor 11.6%

AL.com 3.6%

Of the toilet paper used in the U.S., the vast majority is produced where?

United States (CORRECT) 74.7%

Canada 11.6%

China 7.1%

Mexico 6.7%

Who was NOT in the box seats with President Trump at the Alabama-Georgia game?

Randy Quaid (CORRECT) 62.2%

John Daly 20.9%

Tommy Tuberville 8.9%

Kid Rock 8.0%

“The General Conference never went to the cross for your sins, and it is now time that we start looking to the cross, and not to some other thing.”

United Methodist Bishop Jonathan Holston, the head of the North Alabama and Alabama-West Florida Conferences. Holston was encouraging United Methodists to move beyond the , addressed the controversy over the denomination’s decision earlier this year to change its policy on LGBTQ church members.

In 1952, actress Mary Badham of Birmingham (she played Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird).

In 1976, singer-songwriter Taylor Hicks of Birmingham and Hoover.

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