What Am I Rooting For?

I'm going to remember January 9th, 2012 as a great day. I'll remember it as the day that I enjoyed watching my team win the National Championship in New Orleans with my sister & other friends. The nervous anticipation all day of not knowing what Alabama and LSU would deliver that night. The maelstrom of complete joy that hit the French Quarter as running back Trent Richardson broke a run outside -- reaching the endzone & sealing victory. The scene on Bourbon Street minutes later as people wearing crimson filled the street.

That moment probably is what I'll remember most. I can't describe to you the joy of chanting at the top of my lungs, "L-S-WHO! L-S-WHO! L-S-WHO!" All the hugging and high-fiving was like a scene straight out of "Band of Brothers" after the 101st had liberated yet another European town. And, in a way, we all did feel liberated: we were unashamedly proud of our team & the social norms of the moment gave us permission to not hold it in anymore.

Nevertheless, despite the total satisfaction of rooting for a Championship football team, something in the back of my mind haunts me.

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I remember back to college where I'd sit around with a group of intelligent friends and we, with the benefit of hindsight & the already well-formed judgment of history, would try to figure out why society could have such a hard time with common sense issues.

"How could Southern Caucasian Churches have struggled so mightily with the Civil Rights movement? Why were they so slow to adapt? Why weren't they at the cutting edge LEADING the cause for justice? What were they thinking?"

Inevitably, someone would ask the question, "What are we slow to act on today? What will be the blight of our generation?"

I honestly think it's this question that causes so many within Evangelical circles to push so mightily for same-sex rights. But I digress.

I wonder if I'm wrestling with an issue like that right now.

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Kevin Turner was one tough son of a gun. A fullback at Alabama 20 years ago, Turner graduated to the NFL where he played nearly a decade with the Patriots and the Eagles. He'd deliver crushing hit after crushing hit as the lead blocker for ball-carriers. Turner didn't play a glamor position. If he got his picture in the paper it was probably an accident -- the happenstance of being in the same frame as the star running back. Young, powerful, tough -- Kevin Turner was the picture of a young warrior in professional football.

Today Kevin Turner can't even hold a telephone to his ear. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) has taken his strength away.

"I never dreamed that my brain would be destroyed after a period of time," said Kevin Turner, 42.

While he still can, Turner is educating the public about head trauma, which he believes contributed to his ALS.

[...]

Three months after Turner's diagnosis in May 2010, some Boston researchers reported a link between an ALS-type illness and the repetitive head trauma suffered by some athletes. Turner is now involved in research about the degenerative disease, which is called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

It's believed to be caused by repetitive blows to the head, including concussions. CTE has been linked to depression, erratic behavior and early dementia in a number of former pro athletes.

"We've always known boxers could become punch drunk," Chris Nowinski said. "We never thought it could exist in other sports -- hockey, wrestling, soccer, football. The brain doesn't care what's hitting it. The brain is far more fragile than what we thought."

Then- Kevin Turner was a proud warrior on the gridiron. Today- Kevin Turner finds simple tasks like holding the hand of one of his children more & more challenging each day.

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The tough thing right now is that there isn't enough evidence yet to prove that ALS can be brought on by head trauma. It is an exciting loose association, but in the world of medical science it is a loose association at best. Chris Nowinski, President of the Sports Legacy Institute & one of the leading researchers connecting head trauma with neurological diseases, says they need more money (from a Bill Simmons podcast on 03/08/11). But mainly they need more brains.

Dave Duerson's brain was one of them last year. Duerson was a retired defensive back -- most famous for his role on the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears defense. But after a myriad of personal, physical, and financial problems had taken their toll, Duerson decided to end his life. He suspected he had CTE, but didn't know for sure. Duerson knew that the concussions he had suffered in his football-playing career were affecting him, but he couldn't cope with the problems anymore. So instead of shooting himself in the head, Duerson texted his family instructing them to donate his brain to science. And then he shot himself in the chest.

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Did you know that Lou Gehrig may not have even had Lou Gehrig's disease? He may have simply had CTE. Gehrig had numerous concussions from his high school football-playing days -- back when they strapped on leather helmets. He even played Major League Baseball before they wore batting helmets. They'd just wear the caps they wore in the field up to the plate. In an exhibition game in 1934, one pitch came up & in too fast for Gehrig to dive out of the way. It hit him in the forehead, knocking him unconscious. Who knows how many concussions he had in total.

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Perhaps I shouldn't feel responsible for this. These men chose their path in life. Some of them capitalized handsomely as a result of it.

But, in a way, I think we're all responsible. The more that we make football a religion -- and it's heroes our idols -- the more young kids we're sending out to the field to prove their own manhood. And that's where the real danger lies: all those fragile teenage brains that are laid on the line under the Friday night lights.

As Jonah Lehrer wrote:

Rollinson (a high school football coach) then leans forward in his chair, as if he's about to tell me a secret. "Look, most of my players aren't going to play ball for a living," he says. "I know they don't want to hear that, but it's the truth. So there's really no reason they should risk messing up their brain."

If the sport of football ever dies, it will die from the outside in. The only question now is whether the death has begun.

I know that if there are any young Mama's who ask me for advice, I'm going to tell them to push their boys toward basketball, or baseball, or golf. Almost anything but football.

And if I believe that, then why do I continue to jump up & holler when the boys representing my tribe of choice make a big play? Am I wrestling with the "Civil Rights"-like issue of my day? Will this be the blight of our generation? If rooting on players on the field of battle only makes them to go harder, potentially destroying their brains, then what am I rooting for?

First Person Fanhood

It is a big game for "us" tomorrow.

Only I'm not part of the team.

It's a strange phenomenon in our culture that we can as fans identify so closely with the teams we favor that we speak of them and us together in the first person. It's not, "Alabama had a great season," but "We had a great season."

What is it? Is a measure of one's devotion and love to the great efforts of his favorite group of athletes? Or is it more a measure of a lack of self-esteem that people are moved to latch on to and identify with a group greater than themselves?

I don't suppose it to be either something to self-adulate over or to loathe, although I've heard both. I suspect it has more to do with the shared experiences of emotions over the course of the roller coaster ride of a season. When you're high, you're high together with the team. When you're low, you're low together with the team. So that whatever the final destination is, you sense that you've felt every emotion right along with the team to the extent that you feel a part of the team.

Looking back at the Tennessee game, Terrence Cody embodied on the field (just in this clip) every emotion we were feeling while watching on television at home: from the "we CANNOT let this happen" sense of urgency, to the unbridled outburst of happiness, to the feeling of "OMG, that was too close."



As a Red Sox fan, it was the depth of the doldrums of 2003 that made 2004 so rich and satisfying. The '03 team, one of my favorite Boston teams, brawled with the Yankees like boxers. Those two teams stood toe to toe just exchanging blows. To the point where it went to a 7th game. And when Boston blew a lead in Game 7, and then ended up losing in extra innings, as a fan you took the heartache personally. And you felt the devastating emotions of losing for days. (To the point that, for me, THIS COLUMN still stands as maybe the greatest Simmons column he's ever published)

So, because of that, you take the joy of winning personally too. And obnoxiously so. I've begun to wonder if it's possible to celebrate anything without being perceived as obnoxious. Because celebration is just that: a wild joy that can only be perceived by non-participants as obnoxious. Hopefully you don't become that guy who acts like he's better than everyone just because his team does well. But it's a darn fine line!

So this phenomenon of shared experiences and emotions is such a powerful thing that people begin to refer to their team(s) in the first person.

My only hope for myself is that I keep a healthy perspective for the sake of the players and their accomplishments. Unlike the people in this story from Mark Ingram's hometown of Flint, MI who seemed to take more pride in Mark's Heisman award for themselves than for Mark. I was happier for Mark than I was even for Alabama that night he won the Heisman. He's had a lot of hurdles in his personal life. And also with Alabama having had no Heisman's, the pressure on him had to be immense. So I was glad for him that he wasn't burdened even further, but in fact rewarded.

As for tomorrow, I just hope we get to celebrate. I don't wanna go digging through those Simmons E-mails again.

Rocky Block

One of my professors at college was real entertaining in class on certain days. On those certain days, he would get us laughing pretty hard. And then every once in a while he would slip in a joke that was kind of awkward. And after we didn't laugh, he'd say, "Some things I do just for me."

Well, this blog entry is just for me. What follows are various pictures and videos of what is destined to go down in paint as "The Block."










FWIW, I think it's shameful that the band struck up with Rammer Jammer after this win. Seems like you gotta earn playing that. Especially when you're going to shout at the top of your lungs, "WE JUST BEAT THE HELL OUTTA YOU!" Pretty ridiculous that we went with it.

Here's the picture Daniel Moore may use for his next iconic painting:



Here it is at a higher resolution, but not wide angle:



And here's the picture I love the most: Julio Jones consoling Terrence Cody.



That one photo sums it all up for me. After Tennessee recovered that onside kick, EVERYONE thought it was over. Done. The dream of a perfect season. Maybe the dream of a National Championship. Perhaps even the dream of a shot at Florida again. At moment, it was all slipping away. Tennessee got in field goal range, Lane Kiffin was pumping his fist on the sidelines, and we all felt sick. The dream was dead. But Terrence Cody cared too much to let it end like that. Terrence Cody wanted it more.

And yet, despite the sheer exhilaration immediately following that play, the sorrow of what seemed like an inevitable loss still hung over the place. And after running & jumping around like a wild man, Terrence Cody simply started crying as if he'd just rescued his only child from oncoming traffic. Coach Saban commented in his post-game presser about how fragile a season is. Everyone felt it in that moment. Terrence Cody personifies it in that picture.

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I love this team. Beyond wins and losses, I love the players. I love their stories. Every week there's something new that I learn about them & find another reason to love these guys. That's all I can say: I just love 'em.

Fair Weather Fanhood: A Manifesto

Just a fair warning to all: this is a long one. Relentlessly long. You may wanna try to print it out & read it somewhere more comfortable than a swivel chair. Then again, it might empty your ink cartridge. Ehhh, do whatever you want.

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Allow me to go ahead & get the griping out of the way early: the weather STINKS here in Florida right now. It's positively disheartening. I know I shouldn't complain. I don't guess it does any good to complain... except making me feel better. So, just so we're clear on this matter, I don't like the hot weather right now. Not one bit. Not at all.

I guess the other side of this coin is that we're the first to get the warmth of spring. That is pleasant. But it also means an oppressively endless summer. Starting in May and running through June, July, August, September, and now 12 days into October, it's still summer weather here in Panama City, FL.

"So what? Big deal? You should be happy you don't have to shovel snow." Let me explain a little bit of what this is like for you, the non-Floridian.

I walk my dog every day. I'm a good, loving master, and my dog loves me for it. If you don't know, I'm a big man. Not small. I tend to perspire, like many big men. Okay, let's just keep this simple: I fill up a t-shirt with sweat every day. Every day there is a slim ring around the shirt-tail that is dry because it's the one part of the shirt not sticking to my sweat-soaked body. It is every bit as awful & disgusting as it sounds. And THIS every stinkin' day. Especially days where the heat index rises into the high 90's. Or over 100, like it did at least twice last week.

It became a source of humor for one of my golf buddies the other day. He caught me a mile into my route last week, and he stopped to turn his truck around, roll down his window, point at my shirt, guffaw, and think of every wisecrack he could in the 30 seconds he had to make fun of me.

It was humiliating. I will crush him the next time we hit the links.

What's more, the grass hasn't stopped growing here. And unless you've mowed Florida grass, you probably don't grasp how relentless this creature is. And I've been an outstanding yard manager this year. I'm not bragging; I'm just saying that it was a banner year because I put a lot of effort into it. I didn't neglect my lawn. Mowed it every week.

And I'm still mowing! It's not over! I want it to be over! Why can't it be over?! It's supposed to be over! It's October; it's supposed to be COOL. The grass should stop growing so fast by now. But it hasn't been that way.

Plus, when it gets down to it, I'm just selfish. I feel entitled. I don't know why, but I feel like October is my month. I want to walk outside to my truck & have there not be any humidity in the air. I'd like to not be scrambling to click on the A/C as quickly as I can. In fact, I'd like to roll down the window & fill my nostrils with the crisp air of a cool, fall day. Gosh. Just typing that makes me yearn even more. And that is supposed to happen in October. Why hasn't that happened yet here in October?

"Okay! We get it. It's hot in Florida & you hate it." Sorry. So what am I getting at?

Fair weather. I love fair weather. Who doesn't? Who isn't a fan of a crisp fall day?? Nobody, that's who. I want to declare this openly & loudly: I'm a fan of fair weather.

"STOP! What are you REALLY getting at?"

Well, not only am I a fan of fair weather, but I'm also a fair weather fan. There. I said it. I root harder for winners than I do for losers. But at least I'm honest about it. Seriously: who in their right mind roots harder for losers than they do for winners? Nobody, that's who! Nobody "in their right mind" that is. Nuts & weirdies root hard for losers. And I'm not gonna be one of those nuts or weirdies.

The season's over & we can call it now: the Red Sox royally sucked this season. The only reason they won the Wildcard is because the Rangers collapsed quicker than Boston could. They suffered through injuries (Wakefield, Dice-K, Lowell, etc.) & underperforming seasons (Ortiz, Pedroia, Bay, Varitek, etc.) across the board. Bottom line: they didn't have it this season. It wasn't close.

But you know what was even more disappointing? It didn't seem like they cared. How quick was that Red Sox dugout cleared out after the game was over? I saw Jason Bay give what looked like a cursory, token "blank stare out to the field watching the other team celebrate." That's about it. I'm not the only one who noticed this. I'm almost certain that it's this that motivated The Sports Guy to say this after the Game 2 loss: "If you're expecting me to throw remotes, punch walls & go for 2-hour dog walks for this lifeless '09 Sox team, think again."

Because this group didn't care. Not like those Angels cared; that much was very plain. And certainly not like the fans cared. My Lord... Red Sox fans sell out games & buy merchandise at a rate that would juice the economy if it happened in the cities of the other 29 MLB teams. If any fanbase has ever loved their team & blindly rooted for laundry, it is Red Sox fans. But, as the movie line goes, did the Red Sox love them back? I say no.

I've been having this on-going conversation with some Braves fans, too. The Braves have this new General Manager who is tarnishing the once good name of the Atlanta franchise. He's offending Hall of Famers left and right. He's botching deals, as he did last offseason with Rafael Furcal. He over-spent to nab Derek Lowe because he mis-read the market, thought there would be better pitching available, and panicked to bring in the best remaining option. Mark my words (Dan!): given more time, Frank Wren is going to run the Braves into the ground.

Little do Braves fans recognize this, though. Oh, the die-hards are convinced that next year is their year. As hard as I've tried to convince them of their GM's folly -- of his poor record doing business, of his strange signings -- they're convinced that Wren out-paces every other GM in baseball. Really. And they've invested their hopes & dreams into this guy who is leading them off a cliff.

So since when is rooting for those teams a measure of someone's devotion? Sounds sick to me. Pouring your care into a careless team. Investing your hopes in a hopeless franchise. It is folly I say.

Just ask a Green Bay Packers fan. Ask them what it's like to love a player like a son, only to see him rip your heart in the most careless, disloyal way imaginable. What's that like? Thankfully we were enlightened, courtesy Bill Simmons:

Question: I am 19 years old. I have been a fan of Favre and the Packers since the third grade. I grew up thinking Favre could do no wrong. As a mature 17-year-old, I cried the day he retired from the Packers. I was tolerant of the Jets experiment -- even have the jersey to prove it. But what am I supposed to do now? Tonight I watched my childhood hero stomp all over the team and the fans he represented for 16 years. I found myself cursing him for the very same reasons I used to love him. The phony TD celebrations, the smug smiles, the way he hams it up with his new teammates and his new fans. I don't know how to handle it. I started this e-mail thinking I had something to say about all of this, but I just feel lost. I don't know what to think anymore ... I'm just lost.
--Drew, Bloomington, Ind.

Simmons: And that's the part of Monday's game that got lost. Every Packers fan felt like how a dutiful wife would feel if she stuck with her husband through thick and thin, watched him become a success, then got dumped for a younger trophy wife who also happened to be her archnemesis. Favre failed in the same way Roger Clemens failed when he signed with the Blue Jays in 1997 -- his problems with management affected his feelings toward his old franchise, and he did a piss-poor job of letting his old fan base know that he still cared about it. I have written about this before, but I turned on Clemens during his Toronto news conference when he simply refused to acknowledge Boston fans beyond a few generic words. It hurt. I took it personally and decided he was an opportunistic, disloyal, dishonest scumbag from that moment on. And as it turned out, he was.

In Favre's case, his lack of empathy for Packers fans has been really alarming. I know he plays with his heart on his sleeve. I know he's a "kid out there" and "having a ball out there" and all the crap. And maybe he's not a brain surgeon, but he's smart enough to understand what he meant to Packers fans and the state of Wisconsin, which means he had to understand how it went over after he (A) signed with an NFC North team two months ago; (B) dialed up the finger-pointing and fist-pumping during Monday's Pack-Vikes game so egregiously that even his biggest fan fron Green Bay couldn't defend him; and (C) gave that self-satisfied postgame interview in which he never said anything like, "I just wanted to say hi to everyone back in Wisconsin and tell them that this was as strange for me as it probably was for you, but I want you to know that it was just one game -- a game that I wanted to win because I'm a competitor and I love my teammates, but still, none of this changes the fact that I love you guys and I always will." That's it. That's all he had to say to Michele Tafoya after the game.

He didn't say it.

And believe me, I've been there as a fan. It's unforgivable. Especially when you're under 30 and don't realize that many of your "heroes" are people who don't deserve that level of worship, or any worship, for that matter. They just play sports well. They don't care about you. They care about themselves and that's it. If this realization hits you at the wrong time in your life, it can be hard. (I know it was hard for me. I took the Clemens thing personally, as witnessed by the fact that I once wrote a column wondering if he was the Antichrist.) So if the Packers fans want to play along, so to speak, then they can't cheer Favre on Nov. 1. He set the stakes. He made it clear that he's moved on with his new team and cut all ties to the old one. That means you need to go to Lambeau and boo the living hell out of him. Make him miserable. Rattle him. Flummox him. Do everything you can to get the better of him for three hours. This man does not belong to you anymore, and maybe, he never did.

Wow. Truth is sobering, isn't it?

You know what, let's call it: Hosea was a SICK man. There's a reason that his is an awkward story to tell in Church. Marrying a prostitute? Expecting her to remain as faithful & pure as he was? That's like Favre fanhood to the extreme. Which, I mean, for Hosea, is just unimaginable the amount of grief & pain & sorrow he had to wrestle with so often. ONLY God is capable of executing that kind of love and faithfulness. Not us. And that's the point of the book. It's right there in chapter 11 verse 9:

I will not carry out my fierce anger,
       nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
       For I am God, and not man—
       the Holy One among you.
       I will not come in wrath

Only God can do that. I mean, it'd drive a man insane to love to that degree of passion & have it not returned.

In fact, in terms of Scriptures that are a model, I default to Psalms 22 on this one. That Psalm where David just opens up on God without any pretense: "My God My God, why have you forsaken me?" It's like he's saying, "Hey Father... this situation I'm in right now -- this is really awful. I'd like to tell you how very awful I think it is." And David goes on to describe his plight in detail. He wrestles with ideas like God's faithfulness, and his own worthiness, and several other similar worries that we all have anxiety over when we're in the midst of trial.

But you know what: if David were being measured by the people who measure fanhood in 21st century America, the man after God's own heart would be only a fair-weather follower.

And I say that's rubbish. David was wallowing in his pessimism, but at least he was taking it to the right place. David was keeping it real, but he wasn't quitting God. He wasn't going down to some Baal or Molek to offer his worship there. He was taking it to God & dumping the full load with HIM: in all it's gritty, unpolished glory.

And here's the point I want to stress to a certain doubter of my fanhood: I'm not putting pinstripes on over here. Just because I can spot an apathetic loser when I see one doesn't mean that I'm leaving Red Sox Nation. I'm staying true to my team. But in doing that, I'm not losing the ability to stay true to myself.

I want to offer as a model of honorable fair weather fanhood my cousin Jason. I have to admit: I'm biased. I love this guy. He's one of my favorite people in the world to spend time around. And that for lots of reasons that I'll spare you from me listing here.

One of the greatest things about Jay, though, is his passion. It comes through so clear on the golf course. When he hits a bad shot, it kills him. Every time. And when he's squared off trying to compete against his brother Barry, it kills him double. Jason is a passionate guy.

This passion comes out in funny ways as it relates to his beloved Crimson Tide, too. I'll never forget the referees running out of the stadium -- running right by he & I -- at the tail end of the 1997 'Bama/Mississippi State game. Alabama had been conquered that day, and Jason wasn't in a good mood. So he taunted those referees. And don't worry: Jason's Mormon, he kept it clean. He just let them know that they SUCKED on that day. ;) And if you ask him about it today, he will work himself into just as much of a frenzy as he was in at that moment.

Oh, and there's also the time where he almost picked a fight after a win. It was October 2nd, 1999. Alabama had just defeated the #3 Florida Gators. IN the Swamp, where the Gators hadn't lost a game in 5 whole years. It was a high moment in all our lives. We felt like kings walking back across campus in our crimson polo shirts. That is, until someone dared taunt the kings. Some drunk guy started heckling us with, "You guys suck! You don't even know what top 5 is!!" Well, Jason isn't the type to turn the other cheek at that. "Hey loser!!... We just beat you IN YOUR OWN HOUSE!" Well, this drunk guy kept following us. And Jason kept not backing down. Until finally we've walked up to this guy's fraternity house, and Jason is standing out on the front lawn red-faced yelling at this clown. He was just about to follow the guy into his FRATERNITY HOUSE. We literally grabbed him to pull him out of that spot & back to my apartment.

I hope you'll believe me when I tell you that Jay is a passionate man. And so, just like his errant shots on the golf course, it kills him a little inside each time Alabama loses. And having a decade like Alabama had from 1997-2007, with 2 separate probations and 3 losing seasons, it was almost enough to crush his spirit.

But Jason figured it out toward the end of the Tide's decade of futility. Whenever 'Bama played, he just went to play golf. I couldn't believe it! This guy who loves Alabama football more than I've ever loved anything in my life. I gave him a hard time about it. How could he do it? Well, for one thing, he taped all the games. And he had a simple rule. When he got home, he'd ask his wife who won. If Alabama won, he'd watch the tape. If Alabama lost, the tape was tossed.

Lots of tapes were tossed.

But Jason made a simple realization about life that I hope each one of you will adopt: He was too passionate to put up with mediocrity. His heart was too big, his love was too strong, and the object of his affection was too small for him to continue down the path of experiencing one heart-wrenching loss after another. So he made that simple calculation: "It's not worth it."

And danged if he's not right! Sports isn't worth it. Sports is never worth it. That is, not when the "it" is putting up with rampant mediocrity & disappointment.

It's as Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:23 -- "Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the wellspring of life." I don't know why we subject our hearts to so much anguish over such trivial matters. It reminds me of how C.S. Lewis famously put it:

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

You know what I recommend to Florida State fans right now? Go play golf! Go savor the good things in life. Seek out fair weather wherever it may be found in your life. If in the Noles won, then fire up that DVR and enjoy the show. If they lost, then forget about it. It's JUST football.

Why is that so hard for people to say? "It's just football." "It's just baseball." I'm convinced that it's hard because we wrap our sense of self-worth & personal pride in our sports tribe of choice. So that when the tribe succeeds, it's like we succeed. But when the tribe fails, it's just as if we failed.

And, to me, that's sickening. It's just revolting. Because when your fanhood becomes THAT, it's tantamount to idol worship. And so we then begin to measure someone's virtue -- someone's loyalty -- by their mindless, automaton-like sense of devotion to a sports team? How poor a measure is that!

I've got an idea: How about we try measuring people's virtue & loyalty by things that really matter? Like how well they love their wives. Or how well they raise their kids. Or how healthy they grow their puppies? Or how green they keep their lawns? Even over months & months of oppressive heat!

(That's right: it's all about me here)

I'm not saying just to go root for winners. Definitely don't do that. That's not fanhood. That's being a front-runner. No, don't be like the louses that I grew up with who were fans of the Seminoles, Cowboys, and Bulls. Please. Don't go changing teams.

But here's what I am saying: choose to go enjoy the good weather wherever good weather may be found. That's what I'm doing. It's a High Tide in Alabama. That's why you have to put up with my obnoxious "Power 12" rankings every week. Because I am as into that as President Obama is into being on the TV!! A baseball playoffs commercial on TBS? Really, Mr. President?

So may you enjoy the good weather wherever that good weather may be found. It'll do your heart some good to enjoy the crisp purity of refreshing air in some other slice of life. Because too much of the rest of life is bad weather. Why put up with it in your hobbies & recreation? I mean, there are more important things in life than a sports franchise that deserve that from you which is precious above all else: your devotion & your loyalty. So may you find fair weather spaces in your life to invest your heart where it's safe & where it's rewarded.

And, while we're at it, may the good Lord bless me with some cool Fall air. Please?

Ju-Li-Ohhhhhhhh!!

Rising sophomore receiver Julio Jones gave Tide fans a lot of thrills last season. He really had his first "Hello World" moments when the Tide put up 35 points in the first half against the then #1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Athens last season. Then he made the catch that essentially beat LSU in Coach Saban's return to Red Stick (that's the French translation of "Baton Rouge").

But perhaps none of those was even his most impressive moment of 2008. A 'Bama beat reporter just discovered that Julio played over half the season with a sports hernia that required surgery after the season ended. Which makes this highlight from the 2nd quarter against LSU just seem out-of-this-world incredible to me:



That clip makes me so happy. :) Football draweth nigh!

The Best of Sports Writing This Week

Good writing offers perspective: a chance to see a subject from another vantage point. That's why, hopefully, I use this blog to not merely echo majority sentiment. The last thing we need in the world is our news broadcast to us at a slightly higher volume. But I hope I'm providing an alternative perspective -- a chance to see subjects from another vantage point.

These three pieces did that for me this week. And if you find some time on Sunday afternoon, they would be worthy choices for reading that I think you might find enlightening and enjoyable...


• Meyer, Stoops Go for the Jugular by ESPN.com's Pat Forde

In a college football world littered with would-be National Champions, why was it that Oklahoma & Florida were the only two left standing? Well, part of the explanation lies with the system of major conference conglomeration (known as the Bowl Championship Series, or BCS) which ensures that the lion's share of bowl revenue will be reserved for the college football elite.

The other part of the explanation, however, involves the sportsmanship (or lack thereof) of coaches Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops. And it left me wondering whether one of the last vestiges of gentlemanly behavior -- whether your particular school calls it sportsmanship, class, or whatever -- is simply a relic of an older time in college sports: an unnecessary & cumbersome luxury in today's climate and under our current circumstances.

I think I've already figured out what it says about the BCS: yet another reason to pile on & beat the dead horse. But it also left me wondering, "What does that say about college football?" And, more broadly, "about our culture?"

Here's an excerpt:

There are so many things to debate here in the run-up to the FedEx BCS National Championship Game.

But one thing about this game is indisputable: Running up the score pays off. Sooners and Gators alike can agree on that after watching their teams pile on the style points late in games to influence poll voters.

In today's college football, sportsmanship is hazardous to your BCS health. Greed is good.

• The Courage of Detroit by Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom is one of the nation's best writers, period. And he just happens to write about sports for a living.

This one was a warm exercise in homerism. It'll leave you feeling like you know Detroit.

Thanks to Bob for passing this great little piece along.

And we are modest. In truth, we battle an inferiority complex. We gave the world the automobile. Now the world wants to scold us for it. We gave the world Motown music. Motown moved its offices to L.A. When I arrived 24 years ago, to be a sports columnist at the Detroit Free Press, I discovered several letters waiting for me at the office. Mind you, I had not written a word. My hiring had been announced, that's all. But there were already letters. Handwritten. And they all said, in effect, "Welcome to Detroit. We know you won't stay long, because nobody good stays for long, but we hope you like it while you're here."

• Coffee quietly went about his business at UA by Cecil Hurt

Cecil Hurt is hands down the best sports writer that you've never heard of. He should be the Sports Editor of a newspaper with a much larger readership, like the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Instead he's at home covering University of Alabama athletics for the Tuscaloosa News.

I enjoyed how he broke down the sensationalism of Tim Tebow & his faith, as compared with the humble nature of how Alabama running back Glen Coffee worked out his faith. As wonderful as Tim Tebow probably is, the vast amount of media affection for him is perhaps ultimately counter-productive for what he wants it to be: the sharing & spreading of his faith.

I respect Tim Tebow as I respect Glen Coffee. Both are warriors on the field and, as far as I can judge, sincere off the field.

I was never convinced Tebow’s decision to sign with Florida instead of Alabama was quite the inner struggle that it was purported to be on the ESPN special chronicling his recruitment. But he says it was tough and I will give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s been on my past two Heisman Trophy ballots and if, unlike Glen Coffee, he decides to return for another season in college, he’ll probably make my list for 2009 as well.

I refrain from calling him “Superman,” as television commentators do repeatedly, not because he isn’t a great player and a fine young man, but because ultimately, the over-the-top hyperbole doesn’t do Tebow any good, either.

The Florida quarterback seems to have turned just about every person with a microphone into a blathering fan. In the end, one fears, it will end up having the same result as Dick Vitale’s endless paeans to the Duke basketball program. You’ll start to resent the subject because the messenger — or, in Tebow’s case, the legions of messengers — finally push you to a point where you say “enough is enough.”

I ended up watching the BCS championship and wondering if Tebow had any teammates. That’s not Tebow’s fault, but it was the impression you were left with by the Fox broadcast. It’s great to say that Tebow was “willing his team to victory,” but there must have been at least 21 other Gators who were doing a little something.

That’s why, sometimes, it is easier to like someone who goes about things in a more quiet world, not free from media attention but not transformed by it. Someone like Glen Coffee. One always knew Glen Coffee was part of a larger team.

The FAIL Room

I love Alabama Football. I love the The FAIL Blog. I'm thrilled to see these two loves come together...

The University of Alabama is set to honor Mobile native James M. Fail by placing his name on a prominent fixture at Bryant-Denny Stadium. A donation by Mr. Fail to the Crimson Tide Foundation will result in the visitors' locker room being officially named "The Fail Room."

Mr. Fail served three years in the U.S. Navy before graduating from UA in 1949 and beginning a successful and wide-ranging career in the financial sector. His current duties include serving as chairman of Stone Holdings, Inc., and Bluebonnet Savings Bank.

Auburn Hired WHO???

So Auburn fired a guy who had beaten Alabama six straight seasons, led Auburn to the best season in the history of their football program, and STILL has a career winning record (that's right: Tommy Tuberville is 4-3...) against Nick Saban...

... to hire a guy who has won 5 football games in the last 2 seasons & is coming off of a 10-game losing streak???

Awesome!!

Here are my favorite thread titles from an Auburn Football bulletin board in meltdown mode:

• We dumped a GOOD coach after a five-win season for a guy who has five wins in his ENTIRE CAREER?!
• Well done. We hired a proven loser.
• This isn’t a homerun. This is hitting into a triple play.
• This is a real kick in the crotch
• We needed a big splash. We got a fart in the tub
• Dear Baby Jesus: Let Chizik lie on his resume
• We've been Matt Millen'd. We are the Detroit Lions of the NCAA
• So this is what it felt like to be an Auburn fan 30-40 years ago???
• Bama fans will be at an airport cheering again

Does it get any better than this? The Red Sox are establishing a dynasty, while the Yankees are throwing ridiculous contracts at risky arms. And the Alabama Crimson Tide have the newest hot program on the block, while Auburn is doing everything in their power to deconstruct their own. I'm not sure life could get any better right now in terms of fanhood.

Black Coaches in College Football

I wrote a little diatribe today over at "Saints, Sinners, & Sports" today about African-American coaches & college athletics. Really, it's more about how the media loves to let the University of Alabama be it's whipping boy. Go have a look.

The Big Game: Final Hype Videos & Prediction

So first, here's a funny, "Star Wars" themed video made by a Gator fan...



BTW, that was real footage of Tim Tebow wearing a crimson jersey. He filmed that when he was doing the documentary of his recruitment. There were several shots of him wearing that crimson #12 jersey. Looks totally wacky now.

And then, here's the hype video for the good guys... (g)



What a great match-up for the ages this is. Strength vs. Speed. Old School vs. New School. Red vs. Blue! I found this commentary from The 3rd Saturday in Blogtober to be as incisive as any I'd read:

Speed vs. Power. New School vs. Old School. These are the chosen storylines going into the game. While they are true to an extent, this game isn’t a referendum on offensive philosophy. Both teams try to accomplish the same thing, just by different means. The styles of play won’t decide the outcome, it will be which ever team executes their style of choice better, or whoever can defend the other’s style better. A victory by Bama won’t signal the death knell for Urban’s spread (although I do think it takes a special type of player to run as effectively and as productively as the current Gators are), and likewise, a Gator triumph won’t mean that “Old School” football is going the way of the DoDo.

He's right. But I tend to think that Alabama's formula for success -- dominating in the trenches, limiting mistakes, aggressive attacking-style defense -- will trump any firepower Florida brings to the table.

Both teams are very good at what they do, though. So good that I could see either team blowing the other one out very easily if all the breaks fall one way -- that is, if one team buckles under the pressure, fumbling & starting to throw interceptions. But I don't think that will happen; these are two first-class football teams. I think we've got a classic on our hands...

Alabama 24
Florida 21

Give 'em Hell, Alabama

Hype Videos: Tide 'n Gators 1992

Coming off a shut-out of rival Auburn (which was their head coach's last game with the Tigers), Alabama edged out Florida to stay undefeated en route to a perfect season & a National Championship.

I think I could grow to like that script. (g)

• This was one of two SEC Championship Games played at Legion Field in Birmingham, AL. It didn't take the SEC office long to realize that this resulted in a little bit of a home field advantage for a certain school.

• Tide fans who were at the game not-so-warmly remember this event as the coldest game in Alabama football history. It looks it.

• This game was a tale of two halves. Alabama owned the opening part of the game. But then Florida came roaring back to tie it at 21. With just a couple minutes left in the game, Antonio Langham intercepted a Shane Matthews pass & ran it in for the touchdown. In Alabama lore, this is very simply remembered as "The Interception."

• I really miss Keith Jackson.

Hype Videos: Tide 'n Gators 1999, Part 2

This one was a little less enjoyable for me.

Oh not because of the outcome. 34-7 was very sweet. But I watched this game with a bunch of Gator fans at a campus ministry Christmas party. And at the time I was dating one of those Gator fans. I couldn't cheer for fear of alienating her & everyone else. If I so much as smiled, I got pillows thrown at me. I'm not even making that up -- that happened. I grinned once and got a pillow stuffed in my face.

Still this is great stuff. A few reflections before the video...

• It's too bad 'Bama can't face Jesse Palmer again this Saturday instead of Tim Tebow.

• Even though the SEC Championship Games are technically at a neutral site, it sure doesn't seem like it when you listen to the cheers in this video. Tide fans travel well. Very well. We filled up that dome.

• Is there anything much more fun than watching Steven Orr Spurrier squirm?

Hype Videos: Tide 'n Gators 1999, Part 1

"The Stomp in the Swamp!"

At least that's what I like to call it. (g) And I feel like I have naming rights because I was THERE to witness it. My 82 year-old grandmother & family matriarch (a life-long Tide fan who had season tickets for decades), when we called her later on that evening, called it "The greatest game I've ever SEEN!"

I was a freshman at UF when the Tide rolled into town to tangle with the Gators. I scored 4 tickets in the visitors section for my family & friends at face value. My buddies rolled in on their RV, and we just had the time of our lives.

We joke all the time about how we're going to tell our grandkids about that game...

"Not again, grandpa..."
"YES, you're gonna hear it again! And it'll be good for ya!"

A few other reflections:

• Florida entered this game #3 in the country & having not lost a game at home since 1994. Alabama entered the game having lost to Louisiana Tech 2 weeks prior.

• Shaun Alexander made great use of his face time in the post-game coverage on CBS. Being interviewed after producing 200 all-purpose yards & the game-winning touchdown, he glorified God and spoke about how the team embraced this game like David embraced facing Goliath. He talked about how a sermon at Alabama's FCA inspired them to take the fight right at the mighty Gators. I love Shaun.

• Speaking of Shaun, he was running right at our section on his game-winning 25-yard touchdown run. We were sitting in the corner of the endzone, and I can't even describe how awesome that moment was. I'm not even going to try.

Hype Videos: Tide 'n Gators 2005

I just keep getting more & more geeked up about this little scrimmage scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Atlanta. So I decided to remember, here on the blog, some of the more prominent games (READ: "the games Alabama won") in this inter-divisional rivalry leading up to Saturday afternoon.

We'll start this morning with the 2005 Tide/Gators match-up at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL. If ever the Tide rolled, they did in this game. Total domination to win 31-3. A few incidental reflections:

• Tim Tebow was AT this game as a prospective recruit for ALABAMA. He nearly went with the Tide a couple months later -- reportedly agonizing over the decision on the day of his announcement, soul-searching while sitting by a lake with his dog -- but instead went with his boyhood dream of being a Gator. Having a Heisman Trophy to his credit & a National Championship ring on his finger, I'd say it's hard to fault him for the choice he made.

• This was the game in which Tyrone Prothro broke his leg. No matter how enjoyable this game is for Tide fans to remember & relish, it sucks that much more to remember that one of the most celebrated Tide players of this decade suffered a career-ending injury near the end of this same game. He caught an 80-yard touchdown to open the scoring on Alabama's first play from scrimmage, as well as a 2nd touchdown later in the game. Little did we know that just a few hours later his career would be over. He was just a sophomore.

If it sounds like I'm describing a death in the family, that's precisely what it still feels like.

...

Okay, that's a total bummer for a lead-in to an awesome video. How about a story?

A year later, in '06, my sister & I went to a 'Bama game where she wanted to get Prothro's autograph. Tyrone's career was done for all intents & purposes, but he would still suit up and was sort of a player-coach.

At one point in the 3rd quarter, with the game well in hand, we decided to go for it. So we found him on the sideline & Katie started calling him to try to get him over to the fence to sign her jersey. She was calling, "Prothro!!" "Hey Tyrone!!" "Number FOUR!! Sign my jersey!" He wouldn't budge. I figured it was hopeless at that point -- the players probably don't interact with fans during the game as a general rule.

But my baby sister looked up at me with her puppy-dog eyes & asked me to parlay my strong preaching voice for her cause. So big bro went to work...

"Hey PRO! Come on man! Just one signature!" "Pro-THRO!!" No response. Nothing.

Finally I got creative. In the loudest, clearest voice I could muster, I yelled "HEY PLAY-MAKER!!!" He & the other receivers just cracked up laughing at that. The people around us giggled at it, too. Still, though, no dice. We could sense that he wanted to come over to sign after that, but it was still taboo. That's okay. At least I made "Pro" laugh.

Alright! That's better. So back the truck up to 2005 again. Here are the highlights from a glorious Gator beat-down...

Warm Fuzzies

That's what this video is for me. It's the last 3 minutes of the 2008 Iron Bowl.

If you're an Auburn fan & you read this blog, just go ahead and skip this entry. This one's just for me...

Hope Springs Eternal for this Tide fan

I wrote a little something about my Alabama football fanhood today over at "Saints, Sinners, and Sports." Have a looksy:

The Nick Saban Redemption

The Immovable Object vs. The Unstoppable Force

I just hope we get as good of a game as the resume's of the two schools entering it.

It's ALABAMA...

"When they get a hold of you, there's no letting go. They've been tied or led in just under 756 of the last 780 minutes, and they've scored first in 12 of their last 13 games dating back to the end of last season."

... versus FLORIDA

"The No. 4 Gators walloped rival Florida State 45-15 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, marking the seventh consecutive game in which they scored 40 points or more.

In fact, since losing to Ole Miss 31-30 in The Swamp on Sept. 27, the Gators have outscored their eight opponents 414-97, and won each game by at least four touchdowns."

What "they" are saying so far...

From ESPN.com's Chris Low:

Not long after Alabama had put the finishing touches on a 36-0 battering of Auburn on Saturday night, somebody asked Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson about being the nation's No. 1 team and still being an underdog this coming Saturday in the SEC Championship Game.

Not that the Vegas line had come out by that time, but it's the assumption college football has made for the last several weeks.

Florida is the team to beat.

"It doesn't matter to us," Wilson said, his smile widening. "It's about the guys in the locker room. It's about our attitude. Underdog or favored, it's not going to affect the outcome of the game at all. The whole season, people have not expected us to do the things that we've done.

"We'll just keep taking it that way, and we've seemed to handle it pretty well."

Nobody on Alabama's team was coming right out and saying it, but you could tell they're reveling in the whole notion that Florida is a cut above.


From ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach:

Florida might be the fastest team in the history of college football.
[...]

And whether you love or hate him, it's hard to find many coaches who are better than Saban at preparing a game plan.
[...]

The Gators haven't seen a team as strong or menacing as the Crimson Tide.


From ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel:

Now that everyone is looking forward, the next big issue for the Gators is whether Harvin will play against Alabama. The fleet wide receiver got sandwiched by linebacker Nigel Bradham and corner Korey Mangum late in the second quarter. He stayed on all fours, stopping only to grab his right ankle. Meyer described it as a sprain and said he would wait to see what the doctors say Sunday. Harvin left the locker room on crutches with his ankle in a boot.

Meyer has never coached against Alabama coach Nick Saban. Asked where their paths have crossed, Meyer said they haven't, beyond the SEC head coaches meetings. Meyer said they have been cordial toward one another.

"Helluva coach," he added.

Helluva game.


From SI.com's Stewart Mandel:

"When you look at Alabama, the sum is greater than the parts," CBS' Gary Danielson said during Saturday's broadcast. "When you look at Florida ... the spread [offense] highlights the parts that beat you."

It's not the smoothest analogy I've ever heard, but it's pretty accurate. It may well be that the Gators' multitude of weapons is too much for even as stout a defense as Alabama's -- but I wouldn't bet my house on it. The Tide's formula is one that's stood the test of time since well before the spread offense ever entered the sport's lexicon.


"It's going to be a good game," said Terrence Cody, the Tide's 365-pound nose guard. "We're both very good teams. Florida is flashier and all that stuff. But we're hard-nosed and we'll go out there and give them everything we've got."

British Television Profiles the Iron Bowl

Passion for the Iron Bowl

It's Iron Bowl Week in Alabama. In a way, I have to confess, I don't even really fully grasp the passion of this event because I've never lived in the state. You see, in Alabama, football is all they've got. There's no pro teams. Only a small sliver of the state is on the water. These people live, breathe, eat football -- much like folks in Indiana or Kentucky do for basketball.

Tide fans are especially fired up for the game this season. We haven't experienced a win over Auburn since Bush's first year of Presidency. Auburn keeps celebrating by holding up more fingers, and Alabama fans are ready to show them the finger. Here's the video that has 'Bama fans all fired up this week, from the celebration at the end of the '07 game:



And finally, to give you a taste of JUST how big & important this game is to Alabamians, I read this story a few months ago while reading my favorite Tide Football bulletin board...

I was a 4th year med student at The University of Alabama School of Medicine (the proper name to my mind, despite UAB’s attempts to steal it) doing my Cardiology acting internship. The Cardiology service was always slammed: beepers exploding all the time, the ER calling non-stop, patients trying to die in the units, etc. My team happened to be on call Thanksgiving 1992; we were all afraid we wouldn’t get to watch the game. The beepers were ominously quiet ALL day until the minute the game finished when all hell broke loose. Apparently, people had been having chest pain for hours but refused to come to the hospital because they didn’t want to miss any portion of the game.

People who aren’t from Alabama wouldn’t ever understand the depth of passion for our teams.

Sad News

Due to registration response, the 2008 Huntsville Auburn Club's "Beat Bama" Party has been canceled.

So apparently, as far as I can tell, Auburn’s plans to beat Alabama have been canceled. All I've gotta say is...