Love the SEC Baseball Tournament because it still feels like college sports

The way James Franklin told it, he and his family were in Destin, Fla., the favorite vacation spot of college football coaches near and far, when he saw an opportunity. Vanderbilt was playing in the SEC Baseball Tournament championship game, and though he left Vandy for Penn State 12 years ago, he still has a special place in his heart for the school that gave him his first chance to be a head coach.

It helped that, during his three years in Nashville, Franklin developed a close friendship with Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin.

So Franklin hit the road early Sunday, and there was the Penn State football coach, standing in the Vanderbilt dugout as the Commodores took down Ole Miss 3-2 to win their third SEC Tournament title in the last six postseasons.

In an in-game, in-dugout TV interview, Franklin talked about how much Corbin helped him understand the culture at the SEC's only private school. In Franklin's words, "Nobody knows Vanderbilt like Tim Corbin."

That compliment is too limiting. It's not looking good right now, but if that proposed Presidential Commission on College Athletics ever comes to fruition, Franklin should tell Nick Saban to add Corbin. He would class up the joint while adding a unique perspective on the importance of keeping the college in college sports. ...

Read Kevin's full column in The Birmingham News.