Birmingham's Save Our Slice Movement

The outrage over no pizza at the Pizza Bowl continues to grow. If you'll recall, Papa John's, the title sponsor of Saturday's bowl game in Birmingham, couldn't work out a deal with the Legion Field vendor to sell — of all things — pizza. Imagine that. Even Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid complained. "We told the mayor the fans want pizza. He said, absolutely," Papa John's spokesperson Chris Sternberg said. Now the dough boys are promising to deliver in 2007. Several hurdles remain. First, Legion Field doesn't have the proper ovens, so officials are talking about cooking pizzas in trailers. Another option is to have pizza delivered to the stadium. Currently, Papa John's and other chains don't deliver to the rough and tumble Smithfield community that surrounds Legion Field, partly because of safety concerns. Bowl officials also have other worries. There were complaints from fans about the length of lines at concessions stands and the food selection itself. Plus, out-of-towners who stayed downtown talked about poor taxi and bus service. Bowl officials plan to encourage fans to rent cars in the future.