Alabama softball got the gold mine, Auburn got the shaft

It's not every day you get to play hardball with college softball, but this is the time of year when that sport shines, casuals swell the ratings and visions of a Women's College World Series start dancing in helmets from the Rhoads House in Tuscaloosa to Jane B. Moore Field on the Plains.

Already we've seen fist-pumping delirium and eye-rolling disgust, and the NCAA Tournament doesn't even start until Friday. If the tournament is as dramatic as the selection show, it'll be must-see TV all the way from here to Oklahoma City.

Because this is the way the world works around here in a rivalry that doesn't stop at the gates of Bryant-Denny and Jordan-Hare, all eyes will be on perennial power Alabama and consistent contender Auburn. The Division I Softball Committee, with some curious seeding and bracketing, put a little extra pressure on the Crimson Tide and gave the Tigers a little added motivation.

Well, that's one way to put it. Here's another way: Alabama got the gold mine, and Auburn got the shaft. ...

Read the rest of Kevin's column on the privilege of tradition built by Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy. Only in the Lede.