Two of My Favorite Things

The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team travelled to Pasadena Friday to prepare for The BCS National Championship Game this Thursday night. After a few bouts of sightseeing and some promotional events, including a trip to Disneyland, BAMA will begin final practices before facing the Texas Longhorns and the bitter, Heisman-jilted Colt McCoy.

Photo by Bill Starling/Press-Register Nick Saban takes a moment to pose with Mickey Mouse during the Crimson Tide's visit to Disneyland in preparation for Thursday's BCS national championship game.

A perceived slight by Heisman voters will be the least of McCoy's worries, once the game kicks off and he begins to take the relentless beatings from the punishing attack of the Crimson Tide defense. Texas is no pushover, regardless of recent struggles, and Coach Saban is putting a stop to any possible over-confidence from this focused and purpose-driven BAMA unit. That being said, by listening to ESPN announcers Ron Franklin and Bob Davie one would think that the Longhorns are the team to beat. Good. Those pricks have no idea what they're talking about. Bama's played better competition all year, week-in and week-out. Coach Saban will have these young men prepared.

While watching the Sugar Bowl the other night, I was amused when - during Florida's blowout of Cincinnati- one of their announcers asked: "If this Gator team is this good, just how good is Alabama...?" This, of course, was in reference to the SEC Championship beatdown.

Thursday can't get here soon enough.

ROLL TIDE!

SABAN's Response to TN's Kiffin, Thompson

Memo to Kiffin: Saban gets Tennessee recruit
Saturday, February 07, 2009
IAN R. RAPOPORT
News staff writer
TUSCALOOSA - Alabama coach Nick Saban issued no statement following the inflammatory comments made by a pair of Tennessee coaches. He made one in recruiting, instead.
On the heels of another No. 1-ranked signing class for 2009, Saban secured his first oral commitment for 2010 when receiver Keiwone Malone of Mitchell (Tenn.) High said he would play at UA. Malone is a 6-foot-1, 165-pound junior who led the state with 76 receptions for 1,438 yards and 19 touchdowns.

TIDE Snags #1 Recruiting Class...AGAIN!

The University of Alabama capped off a second consecutive Top-Ranked recruiting class which included in-state studs Tana Patrick, A.J. McCarron, D.J. Fluker, and Dre Kirkpatrick among other impressive athletes.

Coach Saban plucked the 2nd-rated running back out of Louisiana, but receiver Reuben Randle stayed with LSU. The big catch was Pensacola's Trent Richardson, the #1-rated running back in the country.

It's only gonna get better for BAMA. ROLL TIDE!

Roll Tide ANYway... And Happy New Year!

Well, The Crimson Tide lost to Utah in The Sugar Bowl to finish 12-2 for the season. We were flat and distracted, and The Utes were fired up about the bowl, about lack of respect, and for playing The Tide. I am proud of our team for getting this far and honestly surprised that they were as successful, as I figured BAMA would go 9-3, optimistically 10-3.
The BAMA Twins, Cole and Wade Ellis were treated to the best year The Tide has had on the field in a while, and the highlights were many (36-0, anyone...?). Some of our regular attendees to our weekly football gatherings didn't show for the last two games (you know who you are...!), and it is apparent that this disruption of our 'mojo' cost us victories.
Coach Saban has the boys ahead of schedule, and Andre Smith notwithstanding, look to be even better next year. If recruiting plays out like projected, we'll finish with another top-5 haul. Let's see how many coaches get 'Sabanized' next year...!
Happy New Year, and ROLL TIDE!

Congratulations to Over-Achieving BAMA

The University of ALABAMA Crimson Tide was defeated on last night's SEC Championship Game in a gritty, hard-fought contest by the FLORIDA GATORS 31-20. Congratulations to The Gators, and good luck against whover you will beat in The BCS.
The Game was tabbed by everyone correctly as a National Championship Playoff. Most people (including myself) didn't realistically expect BAMA to get this far this year. We were cautiously optimistic early on in the season, and pleasantly surprised by our surge in the opener against Clemson. Confidence built as the year wore on and the victories piled up. No chance against Clemson. WRONG. Georgia would destroy us. WRONG. Sure to be upset by Tennessee. WRONG. (What I also find funny is that all of these were supposedly superior teams, but after ALABAMA beat them they "must not have been that good anyway..!")
The TIDE showed class and character the entire season, showing up to work every day and silencing the critics, many of whom had written BAMA off. Most of the knowledgeable pundits and fans, along with Coach Saban, figured they were still a year away from really competing for the SEC title, much less being a win away for playing for ALL THE MARBLES...!

With a likely trip to the Sugar Bowl coming up, ALABAMA showed what can happen when they play as a team-- something that was lacking last year from some hold-overs of the previous Shula regime. Having another potentially top-ranked recruiting class will only add the energy and excitement surrounding the Program-- AND "The PROCESS".
CONGRATULATIONS, AND ROLL TIDE!

The Crimson Tide Is Making Me FAT!

Okay, here's the deal. I have three truths that I have realized:

1. College Football needs a playoff
   
2. NOBODY in Virginia can EVER say ANYTHING about people in Alabama being rednecks or hicks, or make a tobacco-chewing or hunting joke


3. The University of Alabama Crimson Tide is making me FAT.

The first truth can easily be proven and summarized by simply watching the games and endless ESPN reviews this season. Of course, if ALABAMA wins out I say screw a playoff! Roll Tide! If we lose a game, we will join an ever-growing list of one-loss teams crying for a chance to earn some respect on the field!

The second truth can be seen first-hand by simply taking a drive through the region. Once you get out of metropolitan D.C., it's a hillbilly hoe-down waiting to happen! Don't get me wrong... I admit there ARE plenty of red neckerson's in the South. They just are not solely restricted to the Dixie region.

The third truth will require some elaboration and back-story. (For those of you unfamiliar with the term 'back-story', it relates to what goes on before or leading up to an event or episode. Usually for a fictional literary or Hollywood character.) Every football season, my lovely wife Alice and I host gatherings to watch Crimson Tide Football. Usually this involves a couple of televisions-- inside big-screen, outside 27 or 31-inch set up on the carport for space purposes and for rowdier, outdoorsy types. I typically have my little beer fridge stocked. Everyone who attends usually also brings beer or some other alcohol. Navigation through a sea of beer-filled ice-chests and coolers is routine.

I normally will have the grill going, or the smoker. If a large crowd is to be expected, more food is cooked and the neighbors even haul over their gas grill for optimum cook-time efficiency. In other words, we throw down. This just generally has become accepted as the norm, and with the arrival of Cole & Wade Ellis, aka "The NEW Bama Twins", camping at the house is now an integral part of our gameday experience.

So, anyway, Alice and I are travelling with The New BAMA Twins and their family to Virginia and Washington, D.C. to visit family for Thanksgiving. As with any two-day drive, conversational subject matter can be very diverse. Topics range from the best route, the weather, the kids, politics, traffic, and (of course) Alabama football. As Wendell and I were discussing our appropriate attire for the week, we were both lamenting our inability to schedule sufficient exercise and our expanding waist-lines. His work schedule, along with coaching his 9-year-old son Jared's football team and helping Tina with the twins makes it hard to run or to work out. I, on the other hand, work my regular job at the tire distribution center, then draw Mardi Gras designs and commission work usually well into the night. Being 44 years old with an occasional back-pain or sciatic nerve issue tends to thwart any real effort on my part, as well.

He made the statement that college football was making his jeans tight, and we both had an epiphany: ALABAMA Football is making us fat.

There's really no argument. We cook. We drink beer. We eat. We watch football. If it's an exciting game, the beer tends to go down easier. If Bama's winning, even moreso. If there are other good games on, which this year has unusually been the case.... well, you get the picture. This year has been a cardiologist's dream. Sausage. Beer. Chips & Salsa. Steak. Wine. Cheese Dip. Crackers. Barbecue. Taco Soup. Venison. Hamburgers. Hot Dogs. Chili. Potato Chips. Gumbo. Shrimp. You name it, we probably ate it.

But here's the catch. It's a formula that has worked well so far. ALABAMA is undefeated and ranked Number One. Who are we to argue with success...? Our routine has bourn fruits of which three months ago we could only have hoped. Sure, it seems a bit superstitious. 11-0 speaks volumes. As long as The TIDE is feasting, so are we. We can diet and exercise after the season. ROLL TIDE.

By the way, on our way up, we saw a white "Hazzard County Sheriff" car up on a rollback. Yep. From "Dukes of Hazzard". Looked authentic. We figured someone probably got it at an auction. Again, the camera was packed away, so I didn't have the brains to snap a pic with my cel phone. Genius.

Coach Saban's Pep Rant

Here is the infamous Thursday night pre-game rant from "Nick Saban's Hey, Coach!" Radio Show. He was responding to a fan's question about how Bama matched up "on paper"....! Enjoy!

RETRO-BAMA BLOG KICKS ASS!

Click on the title of this post to see a HILARIOUS Blog entry on "Gump4heisman". It's dead-on, and pretty darn funny!
The 70's are BACK!!
ROLL TIDE!!

BAMA Homecoming & Other Picks....

Okay, it's homecoming, THE University of ALABAMA Crimson Tide is undefeated at 8-0, and a seemingly easy Arkansas State team is coming to town. Well, nothing is a given, and you can be SURE that Coach Saban will have The TIDE ready for a team that beat Texas A&M a few weeks back. Three letters have been prominently displayed throughout the entire athletic complex all season as a reminder of what can happen if you don't pay attention and play at 100%: "ULM". All he has to do is point to last year's homecoming defeat at the hands of Louisiana-Monroe to motivate this team. Alabama needs to pile up some points to stay at the forefront of the pollsters, or we could end up like the cow college a few years back: outside looking in when they play for all the marbles. If Texas Tech upsets Texas.....?
ALABAMA 49, Arkansas State 10


Georgia and Florida face off in what both university's presidents try not to call "The World's Largest Cocktail Party" (which is really inaccurate if you've ever been to ANY game in the cesspool that is Baton Rouge). All of the 'spite' crap aside, this looks to be an exciting game. Georgia, for the second year in a row, actually matches up pretty well against the Gators across the board. That being said, if they come out and play like the first half of the Bama game, Florida will put this so far out of reach it won't even be funny. But I don't think that will be the case.
Florida 45, Georgia 38

Kentucky 28, Mississippi State 10
LSU 28, Tulane 24
South Carolina 14, Tennessee 13
Arkansas 24, Tulsa 21

auburn at Ole Miss is really an enigma. Sure, some will say there is still some bitterness on the part of the Rebels toward Tommy "I'm not going anywhere" Tuberville in lieu of his leap to the tigers/plainsmen/war eagles/whatever. Different teams, different decade. The bottom line, two similiar teams heading in different directions. Sadly, this could possibly be the week auburn rights itself.
But probably not.
Ole Miss 21, auburn 14

Possible Logo Variations for "Cow College"

Here are a couple of new possibilities for the logo for the auburn tigers:

Or how about THIS...?:

Either one would be appropriate after the miserable start and Thursday night's letdown at West Virginia after jumping out to a hefty lead. Wonderful.

Please check out the "Gump for Heisman" link in the column to the right.

Biased Officials? Umpire Participation

Wow! And I thought the officials were biased against ALABAMA! Check THIS out:


This ref really gets into his job. Watch as he braces and puts a lick on the runner.
Wow! I LOVE college football! ANYthing can happen.....!

New BAMA TWINS Enjoy Victory

Well, ALABAMA defeated Ole Miss yesterday, and the New BAMA Twins watched pretty much every minute:

COLE and WADE ELLIS were among the crowd enjoying the first half of what turned out to be another narrow victory for the 2nd-ranked CRIMSON TIDE.

The More Things Change.......

Wow! Other than Georgia and Penn State, virtually EVERY one of my college football picks was WRONG!
And now it looks like BAMA should have backed into the #1 spot IN AN OFF-WEEK! But, probably not. Texas will now be #1 after their victory over then-#1 Oklahoma, Notre Dame lost and should jump to #2, Florida won big over LSU to move to #3, Southern Cal moves to #4, and we'll probably be #5.
And auburn fires the offensive coordinator, but STILL loses. Running the same plays. Wow! Pure GENIUS!
STAY TUNED...!

BAMA's OFF-WEEK & PICKS

Well, BAMA is 6-0 and has a mid-season bye week. This is the way it's supposed to be, the way I was brought up to enjoy CRIMSON TIDE Football. We're back where we belong (ahead of schedule), everyone's jealous and hatin', and we have a breather before resuming our rise back to the top of the college football world. The posers and pretenders see the writing on the wall and hear the thunder of the mighty crimson herd rumbling ever closer.

This was stated so eloquently on the GUMP for HEISMAN Blog seen here: http://www.gump4heisman.com/my_weblog/2008/10/the-alabama-football-fans-guide-to-following-the-2008-auburn-tigers.html?cid=134236075#comments

**HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING!**

(So highly, in fact, that I've added a permanent link over in the right-hand column!)

On a totally un-related note, I am compelled to comment on the sorry state of officiating that has been rampant this season. At first, I thought it was just a conspiracy directed at my beloved Crimson Tide, but as I see more and more games, I realize it is much more than that. Is it incompetence? Is it a visual disability? A failure to properly train the officiating staff on the rules and etiquette of the game? All of the above? Or is it something more sinister...?

I was still agitated about the 'no-calls' on obvious infractions during the Georgia game-- a block in the back AND a tackle of our guys during the Dawgs' return for td, for example -- I couldn't see straight. Then, during the Kentucky game, Julio Jones and the defender are running down-field, jockeying for position. The defender is grabbing Julio's jersey, and then pushes him off! Julio makes a great catch anyway, fights for more yardage, AND IS FLAGGED FOR INTERFERENCE!!! WTF...?!

I was really agitated until I saw the officials helping Missouri against Nebraska later that evening. Then a phantom call gives Michigan another chance to win. I sure hope something is done about this before some coach goes all "Woody Hayes" on a deserving referee...!

Stay tuned....!

Now to this week's picks. Pretty good slate of games on tap, beginning with the Wildcats of Kentucky hosting the South Carolina Gamecocks. Kentucky played tough defense and had a LOT of help from the officials, or ALABAMA would have beaten them by 3 touchdowns last week. (Watch the replays if you don't believe me!)The Cocks finally played like Spurrier intended last week, so this will be a good match-up. Surprisingly, the Wildcats are more talented, maybe too much for the ol' ball coach. KENTUCKY 28, South Carolina 24

Just what the Bulldogs need: GEORGIA 34, tennessee 10

Poor Tony Franklin. He can't take the blame for this one. auburn 17, Arkansas 14

The Bayou Bengals visit the Swamp (which will be a suitable name after two days of rain!) as Florida hosts LSU. The Gators want to prove they're better than they've shown. The Tigas want the same. I think LSU might be a little too strong, and if they get to Tebow a few times this could get out of hand. LSU 38, Florida 28

Nationally, Oklahoma probably holds off Texas, 35-31.

Penn State 28, Wisconson 17

Missouri 38, Oklahoma State 17

THIS WEEK'S PICKS (A Little Late...!)

Okay, I'm pushing for time, so I'll get right to my picks of this week's SEC football games and other contests of note or interest:

Coach Saban only had to point to last week's lackluster performance as a prime example of a let-down, and hopefully the message hit home. Look for more faces to pop up in the rotation- some new, some familiar- as more folks get game-time experience before the start of the conference slate. The Tide rolls:

ALABAMA 45, Western Kentucky 10

tennessee 35, UAB 10

Spurrier seems to be inside Richt's head, but I think this time Georgia is a touch more loaded, and the 'Cocks are playing scared: Georgia 31, S. Carolina 14

Kentucky 28, Middle Tennessee 17

Vanderbilt (On a Roll!) 27, Rice 14

Ole Miss 38, Samford 3 (Nutt is instilling confidence and everyone will get to play!)

LSU 64, North Texas 7 (Tigers feel they have something to prove with long layoff and early patsies on schedule...!)

auburn travels to Starkville to meet a confident Mississippi State, who has been successful as of late against Alabama teams. The guess here is the tigers will be ready.

auburn 34, MSU 17

Arkansas & Texas postponed due to Hurricane Ike, and Florida is idle.

In non-SEC action, look for the Trojans to shut the Buckeyes up as Southern Cal will probably roll over Ohio State. USC 41, OSU 21

Penn State 28, Syracuse 14

Clemson 21, NC State 10

Oklahoma 38, Washington 28

Michigan 14, Notre Dame 13

UCLA 21, BYU 20

This Week's College Football Picks

Okay, I had a pretty good opening weekend, with only Mississipi State and tennessee messing up my record! I didn't get to see the Bulldogs play since they were on opposite Our Guys, so hopefully they can pull it together. I had mixed emotions about the vols' trip to LA, as it's always hard to root for anything orange. I had hoped the SEC would make a strong showing, but they bellied-up and stunk up the joint. I must admit it IS satisfying to watch fulmer squirm.

On to this week's picks:

Georgia will whip Central Michigan (and they better win big or they could drop even further in the biased liberal-media polls): 45-14

Ole Miss should handle Wake Forest on the road: 21-7

Kentucky lights it up against Norfolk State: 48-17

Arkansas improves against Louisiana-Monroe: 24-14

Mississippi State edges SE Louisiana: 10-3

Florida will embarass the over-rated Miami: 44-24

auburn wins over Southern Miss: 34-10

This brings me to this week's game: We'll see how Coach Saban keeps the players grounded and focused after last week. If my guess is correct, The Tide should continue to roll, and more players will see action this week and next as Bama prepares for the brutal SEC slate starting in two weeks.

ALABAMA 45, Tulane 7

LSU's home game with Troy has been postponed until November 15

tennessee is luckily idle

COOL BAMA SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ALTERNATE COVERS

Click on the title of this post to see some cool alternate BAMA Sports Illustrated Covers....!

NEW BAMA TWINS MAKE DEBUT AS TIDE WINS BIG!

Wade and Cole Ellis made a splash in their Gameday BAMA attire Saturday night as they watched their first Crimson Tide victory! The matching 'onesies' were a necessary gift from Aunt Alice & Uncle Brent. (Regrettably, I forgot the 'Breathe-Rites' for their noses and the grease paint for their cheeks.... Oh, well...! There's always next week...!)



Above is a snapshot taken before kickoff, and the one below (doctored by Uncle Brent) is after The TIDE administered the proverbial whipping:

Undoubtedly, this will be the first of many entertaining and victorious University of Alabama football contests these men will enjoy in their lifetimes! Much cheering and glad tidings in abound, as a houseful of friends, neighbors and relatives enjoyed the season-opening entry in the "W" column. There were a few confused looks and some startling moments for the new guys, but they were real troopers until they inevitably nodded off.

And, by the way, my prediction was dangerously close....! Matter of fact, most of my picks panned out this weekend! So far, only Mississipi State has let me down.....

RTR!

COUNTDOWN!

7 Days 'Til KICKOFF!

ROLL TIDE!

Tide Wins Recruiting War...! Sour Grapes Aplenty!

Man, oh, man!
It's funny how all of these LSU fans and Aubarners are concerned about Alabama and quick to spout off about The Tide's irrelevance. If we're such has-beens, how could we have taken the eventual national champions to the wire this past season, and generate as much or more NATIONAL NEWS COVERAGE than anyone else by signing the TOP RECRUITING CLASS IN THE COUNTRY...?
The LSU fans are STILL bitter about Nick Saban coming back to the SEC, and the tigers/war eagles/plainsmen/wtf can't understand why they get no respect for regularly beating up on a down program in perpetual dis-array.
The link below goes to an LSU fan blog that spends more time dissing Saban and Bama than celebrating their 2-loss National Championship season:
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/messagetopic.asp?p=7118605

Coach Saban and his staff quietly and methodically amassed arguably one of the most skilled and talented group of sought-after athletes to stroll into Tuscaloosa in my recent memory. The lure of the Tradition at THE University of Alabama as well as a chance to play and contribute early seemed like a pretty good combination. It also helps thst Coach Saban has a history of producing top-round draft picks.