Competition for SEMO's opener, plus a new look for UT-Martin

Four quick notes heading into a hot and humid weekend:

• The Cincinnati Enquirer says there's a battle brewing for the starting quarterback spot at Cincinnati, where Southeast will open its football season with a Thursday night game Aug. 30. Junior Dustin Grutza is gaining preseason buzz over Wake Forest transfer Ben Mauk.

• What's the reward for Tennessee-Martin's breakthrough 9-3 season a year ago? Besides gaining new respect in the OVC, the Skyhawks also gained new uniforms. The new ones already are drawing comparisons to Auburn, but your chance to judge them in person comes Oct. 27 when the Skyhawks play at Southeast. UTM opens the season against Southern Mississippi.

• Practice started Monday for fall sports, and several teams open the season in less than two weeks. Baseball, softball, girls golf and girls tennis begin the season Aug. 20; volleyball, boys soccer, boys swimming and diving and cross country begins Aug. 27; and football starts Aug. 30. Locally, the only football game set for an Aug. 30 kickoff is Windsor at DeSoto; other teams open the next day.

• And finally, SemoSportsWeb has joined millions of others around the world with a page on MySpace. The page is new and still being fine-tuned, but more content will come. In time, it will be a great spot to meet other sports fans from here and around the world, plus get loads of news and information. For now, sign up as our friend on MySpace and get alerts sent to your MySpace inbox with the latest breaking news.