Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Great Column

CECIL HURT: So what’s the secret to all these early UA commitments? - Tuscaloosa News - 7/31/07

Excerpt:

There are some things that are more appropriate in February than they are at the end of July. Snowball fights, for instance. Mailing valentines. Evaluating the recruiting classes of college football programs.

It’s still too early to give any sort of final analysis of Nick Saban’s first full class of recruits as Alabama’s head coach. (While he put his stamp on last February’s class, it wasn’t fully a Saban production.)

All the time-honored cliches about early commitments apply here. No, you don’t ever know how they are going to turn out, particularly now, when the prospects haven’t even played their final year of high school ball yet. No, verbal commitments aren’t binding. All that is true.

But this isn’t an attempt to take the University of Alabama’s sudden flurry of early commitments, amounting now to 13 or roughly half the Crimson Tide’s eventual class, and predict their ultimate impact on the football field.

This is an attempt to measure psychological impact, moreso than physical. Exactly why is Alabama -- still a team in transition -- having so much success, and not just among players who have close ties to the Crimson Tide program? Players like Tuscaloosa County’s John Michael Boswell, who lives just across from the river from the UA campus, or Tyler Love of Mountain Brook, who has numerous family ties to Alabama, are important recruits and their verbal pledges can in no way be diminished in importance.

Monday, July 30, 2007

July articles of interest to Bama fans

Applewhite: A Hot Commodity on a Hot Seat - Scout.com - 7/4/07

Not all faculty, staff will get football tickets - Birmingham News - 7/4/07

Crimson Tide self-reports three football violations - Birmingham News - 7/6/07

Mentoring the Tide's new mentor, Trio of coaches who gave Saban a job say that he had his fun, serious sides - Decatur Daily - 7/7/07

$ales soar with $aban - Huntsville Times - 7/8/07

QB hopes to return Tide to national scene this year - Mobile Press Register - 7/9/07

Times may be a-changin' in Tuscaloosa - Real Football 365 - 7/9/07

Saban: Tide should play Notre Dame - Birmingham News - 7/11/07

Nick Saban talks about Tide team at YMCA - Montgomery Advertiser - 7/11/07

Irish can't make Tide fit in schedule - Birmingham News - 7/14/07

Got Nick? Saban items hot sells for Crimson Tide followers - SI.com - 7/14/07

Tide coach expounds on Dolphins departure Saban on SportSouth - Montgomery Advertiser - 7/14/07

Three Tide players arrested over weekend - Crimson White - 7/19/07

Castille leads Tide as first-team selection - Dothan Eagle - 7/20/07

Preseason polls pick Trojans No. 1 - Montgomery Advertiser - 7/20/07

Alabama Introduces New Crowd Control Plan - WRBL, Columbus, GA - 7/22/07

Alabama QB McElroy waiting in the wings - SouthLake (TX) Times - 7/25/07

Teammates aid in Tide discipline - Birmingham News - 7/27/07

Perfect fit to be with Tide? Saban can slog through the insanity - CBS Sportsline.com - 7/26/07

SEC Preview: Alabama - BamaMag.com - 7/29/07

Crimson Tide gets Love, Tallahassee receiver - Decatur Daily - 7/29/07

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Awesome video

This a truly awesome video for anyone who loves he history of Crimson Tide football!

I hope we have more of these days to come!



Monday, July 16, 2007

A few more articles from June 2007

Vote: College football's top moments - ESPN
For over 100 years the college gridiron has given sports fans plenty to talk about. Bitter rivalries, larger-than-life personalities, dynasties, and, of course, controversies are what give college football one of the richest histories on the American sports landscape. With that in mind, ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel put together a list of college football's 100 defining moments.

Stacy learning off field - Mobile Press Register
Life is going just fine for former Alabama running back Siran Stacy in the second phase of his adult life, or A.F. -- After Football.

Croyle ready to run offense, walk down aisle - Mobile Press-Register

This has been quite a summer for Kansas City Chiefs and former Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle, and it's far from complete. The Crimson Tide's all-time career passing yards leader is making news both on the football field and off. He's aiming to make more news as the upcoming NFL season approaches. Saturday, Croyle, his father John (the founder and director of the Big Oak Boys and Girls Ranches and a former Crimson Tide defensive end) and his brother-in-law John David Phillips (also a former Alabama quarterback) joined several others at Jeremiah Castille's AC Celebrity golf tournament at The Golf Club at The Wharf.

Early Pick: Saban top story so far
A year ago at this juncture, halfway through 2006, the top stories concerned Alabama linebacker Juwan Simpson's legal trouble and Tide coach Mike Shula coming off a 10-2 season. Would anyone like to take a guess on what has been the top story so far in 2007? Of course, the story from day one until now has been Nick Saban. Something tells me that won't change much in the coming months.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Oklahoma

I talked with a guy from Oklahoma today while watching the Cubs - Astros game at Wrigley Field. I asked him about the recent addition to OU's probation. He said that he thought Alabama would be better now that they had a good, new coach. I said my opinion was he same, but I thought it might take a few years.