Category Archives: Everything Football

Sep 19 1 comments
All Things Considered Southern, Everything Football, Sweet Home Alabama

faith of the masses

Because the ‘Bama Nation has rallied together, I had to share one of my favorite blogs as of late… ChurchofSaban.com.

Seriously, it’s absolutely HYSTERICAL! I love the writing… Take for instance some wording from a post about the Alabama/Arkansas game:


Brothers and sisters in Saban,

Tonight, I sensed much fear at The Temple. I can understand why you may have had fear in your hearts; for so long, false leaders have buoyed your spirit, only to dash your hopes. However, you should not have fear as you have in the past, for it is written, “Fools! Do not doubt me as you doubted the one that came before me, for he was but a child, but I am a man.� (1st Moore 3:12-13).

In fact, the glorious events of this evening were foretold in the Great Saban’s sermon to the believers at Fort Deposit. Reading from the Book of the Process, chapters 17-19:

“And after they ate together, the Teacher said, ‘Come close, my friends, and I will tell you of a day of triumph yet to come. It is a day where the sun will burn bright, and then be covered by the darkest cloud…but it will burn through the cloud, and be brighter than ever.’

And one of the followers said, ‘Teacher, tell us, why will the sun burn through the clouds? In the past, when the clouds came, the rain was sure to follow.’ And the Great Leader said, ‘Verily, the present is not the past.’

And he continued his story, saying, ‘A great battle will be had between my followers and the poor pigs from the desolate lands west of the Great River. They will be led by a man of great distinction, for he is more Beast than man. He will know not fear nor pain, and the strikes of my forces shall not harm him, but will bounce off him like the arrow that strikes the armor. His armies shall be pushed back, and our victory will look sure, but I will know that victory is not sure. The Beast shall rally his men, and they shall cry, ‘We shall take this day!’ But know well, my children, I will tell my general, ‘This is your time,’ and he shall know it is his time, and he shall fight like we have not yet seen him fight before. Victory shall be tasted by all who follow me, and verily I say to you, you all shall fall upon your knees and praise me this day.’

One of them said, ‘But Teacher, we already praise you.’ And he said, “Child, you praise me now as the farmer praises the vine that is newly planted. He knows that it will bear fruit, but he has not yet seen the fruit. You have seen my vine; after this victory, you shall know my fruit.�

Now, this has taken fandom to an entirely new realm.

There is also the writing of my favorite ‘Bama football blog: RollBamaRoll.com. They have game difficulty ranked according to Bocephus’s albums [that's Hank Williams, Jr. to all those non-Southerners]. It’s genius. :)

Also, loosing to Croom will get you fired…

And, finally, one UT fan is claiming horrific details about the program in Knoxville. We can only hope that it’s completely true. :) RTR!

Sep 18 1 comments
Everything Football, Sweet Home Alabama

southern hospitality

Why I love the South, reason #238:
Random strangers can become your best friend just by overhearing just the right statement.

As I was out to dinner with one of my best friends, of course, football comes up during the conversation, since we met at the beautiful University of Alabama. She knows my affection for chiclets gum, and offers a quarter. She grabs a gumball, and says that she loves orange. At this point in the conversation, it can either go uphill or downhill.

I ask why she loves orange, because to me, there is no uglier color than certain rival shades of orange seen around the SEC. However, she claims, she loves the orange flavor, and definitely doesn’t enjoy horrific team colors sporting orange… such as that of the Tennessee Volunteers. I say out loud that there is no uglier color than ‘Tennessee Orange.’ All of a sudden, the man in front of me turns around and replies, ‘now there’s the truth!’ He then proceeded to stick out his fist to be pounded, and furthered his comments that he also didn’t like Auburn Orange or Florida Orange. At this point in the conversation, ‘Roll Tide’ was exchanged between all parties, and we parted ways.

There’s nothing like encountering people that have a strong bond of football. Roll Tide Roll. :)

Sep 16 0 comments
Everything Football, Sweet Home Alabama

retro-active

So, in hindsight, Alabama’s win over Arkansas is still thrilling. And, I can’t help but be excited. It’s been a long time since ‘Bama has played so well.

JP Wilson’s complete pass in the last few seconds of the game to Matt Cadell is now up for a vote in Pontiac’s Game Changing Performance… so, go vote! It was an amazing pass, and deserves some attention!
mattcadell
Photo credit: RollTide.com

As far as becoming ‘obnoxious,’ I don’t think that many ‘Bama fans have gotten too obnoxious. There are still many games to go, and they are uphill battles for UA. But, I can’t help but echo the comments of one of my favorite ‘Bama sports blogs:

Wow. On the one hand, you want to make fun of a rival when they are down, but on the other, well, after years of hearing them make fun of your team for the exact same crap they are going through right now, screw ‘em.

I have to say, well said. It’s not about being obnoxious or rubbing it in on others, and wouldn’t be the case despite the misfortune of other teams. It’s about being excited that your team that has been trampled on rising to the occasion and seeing a coach be able to do something with the team that gets fans excited about the future of their team, and the possibility of a national championship in the future. THAT is what we are thrilled about… the fact that we’ve had a less than average team in the past, but now, ‘Bama is a team to be reckoned with. It’s worth the excitement.

Sep 15 0 comments
Everything Football, Sweet Home Alabama

respect the tide

Finally, the Crimson Tide should be getting the credit that they have deserved, that being a ranking in the Top 25, since Alabama just knocked off the #16 Arkansas in a fabulous football game, with a Bama win 41-38. That game is the perfect example of Southeastern Conference football. SEC teams are none to be reckoned with, and unfortunately, matchups usually knock off each other from the rankings.

College Gameday opened it up with an analysis of the game… At least Kirk Herbstreit & Lee Corso have some brains, and picked Alabama.

Oh, Nick Saban, you deserved that big grin at the end of the game. Hey Hogs! We just beat the hell out of you! Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Give ‘em hell, Alabama!

ROLL TIDE! That was most definitely Alabama football.

Sep 14 0 comments
Everything Football, Sweet Home Alabama

rollin’ with the homies

Well, down south, things are going a little crazy. This coming weekend marks Alabama’s first big game… not just an SEC battle, but a game that could possibly take out a ranked team and justify an earned spot on the Top 25, which Alabama has yet to be given credit.

Not only are unranked teams taking out Top 25 teams left and right, this season will be a fun one to watch, considering the first 2 weeks so far.

So, tomorrow night, 5:45p CST on ESPN, Bama will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks, and I do believe it’s time for some BBQ. Come on hogs, we’re ready for ya. Roll Tide! And to get your crimson blood running, check out this year’s video ‘Tradition.’

*And special thanks to Sassy for a wonderful beginning to the weekend by providing a YouTube round-up of ‘Bama clips with the fight song. It’s enough to give you chills.

Sep 11 NO comments
Everything Football, Miscellaneous, Sweet Home Alabama

day of rememberance…

Yes, I remember where I was at the moment of the hijacked planes on September 11, 2001. But, I also have to remember that it is the birthday of the University of Alabama’s beloved Paul W. ‘Bear’ Bryant.

So, for both reasons, let us all bow our heads and have a moment of silence.

Just in case you were angered, I am not by ANY MEANS trying to disrespect those who died on 9/11. So, please, don’t even start.

Sep 07 0 comments
Everything Football, Ins-and-Outs, Sweet Home Alabama, Voices of the Past

exhaustive reading

That's what I've been up to this week: lots of reading. For class, for research, for news. It's insane. And, I'm pretty much exhausted. Almost too tired to get up in the morning and be up and ready and at the parents' house to watch Alabama kick off at 11:34 CST. But, it's my dear duty as a fan of the Crimson Tide. I just can't miss the game. It will be hard to miss watching UAB and Auburn tomorrow since I've got to have my nose in the books. Did I tell you that I was exhausted? If not, I really am. I did take a little bit of time to take in some cultural events this weekend. Tonight, I met up with a dear friend in town from Brooklyn, NY, and with a new friend in my complex, to head to Bottletree and have some fabulous food and enjoy great conversation. Afterward, we all headed downtown to ArtWalk 2007. Tomorrow evening, I plan to attend a fabulous play 'Miss Vulcan 1939' at Vulcan Park, with an opening concert by none other than Emily DeLoach! No lie, this weekend may be full of the coolest things I've ever done in this city, and I've lived here most of my life. Tomorrow… 11:34am CST… and, Roll Tide!

Sep 01 0 comments
Everything Football, Sweet Home Alabama

rising tide

Today was the season opener for Alabama football. I must admit that I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t on some kind of television broadcast, since new coach Nick Saban has been overly-publicized (only in my opinion, don’t get angry). And while it is a pain to listen to the game over the radio, it helps that Eli Gold is the voice of Alabama football. It’s heaven when he yells, ‘Touchdown, Alabama!’

…and tonight, ‘Bama fans heard Eli yelling all night. Not that the Tide fizzled out some top 5 team like Appalachian State did today (wow, what a game, and how exciting), but I’m proud of the team. I heard so many names mentioned that I’ve never heard, which means that Saban has increased the depth of both the offensive and defense. THAT is a great sign. It’s also good that there were no injuries, which means that they are conditioned to play a full football game and they are strong… always a good sign for a worried fan that has seen a team plagued by injuries over the years. Even the second and third string teams were forcing turnovers, holding lines, and putting points on the board. For this, Alabama deserves lots of credit for the 52-6 victory over Western Carolina University.

While I may not be a full-fledged ‘Savin’ Saban’ fan yet, I am a little more hopeful. I’ll be a little skeptical until he passes the 2-year mark. The fact that he has an ‘out’ clause in his contract makes me fearful that he’ll pull a Dennis Franchione on us. But, the team looks good. Real good.

The rest of the SEC was mostly impressive. I’m glad that Auburn pulled off the win over Kansas State, but K-State was full of mistakes that benefited Auburn’s play. I’m hoping the Tigers look better next week. I was disappointed in Tennessee’s play. They totally looked opposite than they did last year when they played Cal. I hate they didn’t knock out Cal again, but I believe they’re still a strong team. The SEC looks really strong this year; six teams ranked as of today’s games, and it will probably not change much this year. The SEC is always a powerful conference, and that’s why southerners LOVE their football.

Aug 30 0 comments
All Things Considered Southern, Everything Football, Sweet Home Alabama

can you feel it?

I can feel it. It’s in my blood, and it’s part of my soul. This weekend marks the opening of the greatest time of the year, especially for Southerners: college football begins. And we, all of God’s precious football-lovin’ people say, ‘amen.’

There’s nothing quite like football season in the South. For many, the simple reciting of the seasons is: winter, spring, summer, football. It’s the anatomy of the autumn here in the South, and it’s the most highly anticipated sport from the beginning of summer. Everyone scouts out their team’s summer training reports, and they begin to name their personal top 10s, and they know every player like he’s an old buddy from down the street, no matter if you’re 8 or 80. For a Southerner, football is simply part of our DNA.

And there is a reason for its importance, and it lies in two words/three letters: Southeastern Conference (SEC). There is simply nothing quite like SEC football. Match them up against any other conference, and it’s not even an even playing field. In the South, football players are raised from childhood to play for your family’s team: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, or even Tennessee. All over the South, everyone adorns their favorite colors on Saturdays, whether you’re attending the game or the grocery store… so that everyone knows what side is yours.

And, thankfully, most know of the tradition of Southern football. Even ESPN presented an awe-inspiring article called ‘Pulled Pork and Pigskin.’ The opening image is enough to make a grown man cry. Thanks to an old college buddy/MDB member for the article!

Lastly, but not least… ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Jun 24 0 comments
All Things Considered Southern, Everything Football, Sweet Home Alabama

religion

Today as I was driving (now a mandatory part of everyday for me), I saw a billboard that simply stated:

I believe in football.

And all of the South’s great citizens say, amen.

You see, football is a completely religious experience in the South. Of course, I’m not preaching to the choir, just making an observation on the differences of the South to other parts of the country. I know that there are great football traditions all over the country (see: Notre Dame, Penn State, UCLA, Texas, etc.), but football is an altogether different type of experience.

In the South, rivalries are pitted based solely on the geographic region from which someone has been born. If you grow up in Tennessee, chances are you’ll root for the University of Tennessee, to which every Alabama fan will scowl by the third sentence of the conversation. If you were born in Louisiana, there’s a great chance that you’re an LSU fan, to which every other SEC team fan will become an enemy at first mention.

It’s amazing to see the contrasts once you’ve been out of the region.

I’m not saying that I’m apart from it either. Now that I am back in Alabama, I look forward to nothing more than being in Tuscaloosa for game day and cheering alongside 92,000 other die hard fans, hoping that Alabama will this year clinch its 13th National Championship. There is nothing like Alabama football.

To be honest, there’s nothing greater than SEC football.

The Southeastern Conference holds some of the greatest football traditions, players, and coaches. Once players are a part of the SEC, they come back to coach, to root, to pass on that love of the greatest sport alive to their children and grandchildren. And the fans are the same way: they spread the tradition to their heirs – and a rich inheritance it is to each recipient.

And while the teams are in summer workouts (in horrific heat, by the way), Alabama fans, players, and coaches alike look forward to that first weekend in September when the video will play, and everyone in the stadium will hear the words of former/late coach Paul W. ‘Bear’ Bryant as he says, ‘I ain’t never been nothin’ but a winner.’ Then, the elephant smashes through the logo and we all hear the powerful words, ‘This IS Alabama football.’ It’s a religious experience, sending chills down your spine, and it will make a believer of anyone in attendance.

I agree with that billboard, and I’m a proud follower, because I do believe in football.