Filed under: Pigskin, The Tide | Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Alabama Football, C.J. Spiller, Clemson, Cullen Harper, Georgia Dome, Mount Cody, nose guard, Terrence Cody
Remember that precocious little fat kid at the Klump’s dinner table in the Nutty Professor? Well apparently that is JUCO transfer, Bama nose guard Terrence Cody who now weighs in at 365lbs. Here’s to “Hercules” having his way with Cullen Harper and C.J. Spiller tomorrow night.
Filed under: Pigskin, Pontificating, Saban, The Tide, Tuscaloosa | Tags: Alabama Football, Atlanta, Clemson, College Football, Georgia Dome, Julio Jones, Nick Saban
In 48 hours, the Tide will begin their 2008 campaign under the Dome in Atlanta. Before we can talk about where the Tide will go in the second year under the “Nicktator,” we must take a look back at where we’ve been.
In the first year under Nick Saban, the story was “close, but no cigar.” Every game in the first half of the season seemed to be a nail-biter, minus the Vandy game which wasn’t exactly a blowout either. The first leg ofthe 2007 season featured a 3 point win over Arkansas, an OT loss to UGA, a touchdown loss to FSU, a near tragic 6 point win over Houston, and a 3 point scare at Ole Miss. The turning point came against Tennessee. Everything clicked for the Tide, and everything bombed for the Vols in a 41-17 Alabama win. When everything was setting up for a late season run off the momentum of the Tennessee win, the house of cards came tumbling down.
A potential monumental upset fell by the wayside against LSU with a 1 touchdown loss. The wind was completely let out of the Tide’s sail after a demoralizing loss in Starkville, followed by the LA Monroe debacle. In the Iron Bowl, redemption was almost had, but slipped away by 7. Even the Weed Wacker Bowl was a close one, with the Tide overcoming Colorado 30-24.
It was a roller coaster that I only survived thanks to Captain Morgan, and Jim Beam. The old ABC theme, “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” never met a more appropos team. The close wins were uplifting, the blowout was exhilarating, and the near losses, especially to State and LA Monroe were down right demoralizing.
If the 2008 campaign is to be more successful, the close losses have to go away. To get where the program needs to be, we can’t lose any more games to cupcakes like LA Monroe, and the annual match up with Starkville Feed/Seed/Lawn Mower Repair and Junior College must be a guaranteed win. When that happens, then we can talk about having enough in the tank to hold on against the likes of LSU, UGA, and Auburn in the 4th Quarter.
The “process” is well documented, and that’s just what this Saban experiment is; a process. I think the “easy” games will come with relative ease. Perhaps contending for an SEC West title is a year down the road, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel sweet Bammers, there’s light at the end of the long, dark, vile tunnel that stretches from DuBose to Fran; from Price to Shula. The end of the long Bammer Nation nightmare is nigh. A loss in the game Saturday with Clemson will be an understandable casualty of the “process” to achieve that end. A win in the Georgia Dome, however, has the very real potential to set that end into motion at a breakneck pace.
It’s football season baby. Despite the copious amounts of academic BS I’m doing right now, not even my law profs can take my joy away.
RTR.
…is very time consuming, as I’d imagined. Thus, I haven’t posted any nuggets for you lately. Hopefully @ some point tomorrow or Friday, I’ll have some thoughts up about the opening weekend of college football.
Until then, Torts, Civ Pro, Crim Law, Contracts, blah.
Filed under: Pigskin | Tags: Brett Favre, douchebag, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Trade
Media outlets now report that Brett Favre has been traded to the New York Jets in return for a draft pick. Let it be said that I now officially hate the J-E-T-S. What a douchebag. Favre goes out crying, spouting off about how he has nothing left mere months ago, and now he’s ruining his legacy with the only team he’ll be remembered for in a positive capacity in turn for the opportunity to run his name into the NFL mud.
Pay attention kids, this is NOT how you end a Hall of Fame career…
Favre will most likely win in Week 1 vs. the Dolphins. However, perhaps he’ll be persuaded to re-retire after Week 2 when Tom Brady shows the old bastard what a real QB looks like, and if that doesn’t do the trick, after Shawne Merriman wipes his ass with what’s left of his old bones in Week 3, he’ll be on a one-way trip to the Old Folks Home in Kiln, MS… God, I can’t stand Brett Favre. Once, I adored the man. He was all that was right in sports, but now he’s everything that’s wrong with the world.
Filed under: MLB, St. Louis Cardinals | Tags: Atlanta Braves, IHOP, St. Louis Cardinals, Turner Field
As I mentioned, a few friends of mine and I ventured over to Turner Field last night to see the Cards play the Braves. Chris Carpenter looked pretty good in his first outing since Opening Day 2007. He didn’t have command of his stuff like I’d like to see, but the velocity was there. For once, I think we’ve gotten a pitcher off the DL who is back to his former self.
There were, of course, a few jackasses at the game. I present to you Exhibit A “Annoying guy with maraca”
The brain trust of the two greatest sports blogs in West Alabama took some time for a photo op:
And ladies and gentlemen, the International House of Pancakes in Douglasville, Georgia will never, EVER, be the same:
Good times…good times. Go Cards.
Filed under: 1L, Law School, MLB, St. Louis Cardinals | Tags: Atlanta Braves, books, Chris Carpenter, Law School, Randy Pausch, St. Louis Cardinals, Turner Field
I was watching the ABC Primetime special on the late Professor Randy Pausch, whom I wrote about previously, and in an interview he said that he always asked his children what the best and worst parts of their day was. I thought it was a particularly interesting thing to do at the end of each day. The more you read about this guy, and watch footage of his lecture, you realize the firm grip the man had on life, or at least the perspective he gained toward the end of his days. So here goes my Worst/Best…
- Worst: Law school books are really expensive. Try 800 bucks for the first semester, and that’s not counting the two Civ Pro books I have to pick up next week. We’re talking 1K dollars worth of books folks… I was going to head over to Tupelo while I’m home and pick up a new backpack, but now I’m thinking a bookshelf with straps would be more apropos.
- Best: I realized today that the last time Chris Carpenter pitched for the Cards was on opening day in 2007 when my Dad and I went up to St. Louis to see the game and the World Series trophy be paraded in on the Clydesdales. Carp will be on the mound tomorrow for around 90 pitches vs. Jair Jurrjens when the boys and I are @ Turner Field.
Filed under: MLB, Pigskin, St. Louis Cardinals | Tags: 50 biggest jerks in sports history, Atlanta Braves, CBS Sportsline, Joe Pa, Mike Freeman, Nick Saban, Penn State, Phil Fulmer, St. Louis Cardinals, The Big Lead, Turner Field
- The Big Lead shares my sentiments on the ESPN Joe Pa/Penn State piece…
- Mike Freeman @ CBS Sportsline has a list of the 50 biggest jerks in sports history… Not in the top 50, but in the just missed category are: Nick Saban and Phil Fulmer. Not going to dispute those. (H/T The Big Lead)
- If you’re going to be @ Turner Field Wednesday to catch a humpday nightcap between my beloved Cards and the Bravos, ElGringoLoco and I will be there. Come have a brew…
- Speaking of ElGringoLoco, he’s got his SEC East predictions up.
Filed under: In All Seriousness... | Tags: Cancer, Carnegie Mellon University, Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, RIP
For those of you that haven’t read The Last Lecture, or at least heard of Randy Pausch, he is the Carnegie Mellon Professor who delivered a traditional “Last Lecture,” except it was just that…his last lecture. He passed away today from complications due to Pancreatic Cancer today at age 47. My stepmother bought me a copy of his book for graduation, and I didn’t put the book down until I was finished. Pausch was one of those guys who just understood what life was all about. If you have an extra hour and fifteen minutes, watch his last lecture. If you don’t have time, make time.
Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture”
Filed under: Pigskin | Tags: ESPN, Joe Pa, Joe Paterno, PA, Penn State, SportsCenter, State College
On this morning’s SportsCenter, a piece aired on the “rash” of criminal charges against Penn State football players from 2002-2008. More specifically, they focused on an incident where a few Penn State players were involved in an altercation at an apartment building. ESPN’s Paula Lavigne wrote up the text version of the story for ESPN.com.
The seemed increase in player arrests is not exclusive to State College, as anyone not living under a rock in the State of Alabama could tell you. In the current climate of blogs, internet fan sites like Rivals and Scout, and the 24/7 news cycle, not even a minor misstep goes unnoticed by media and fans who yearn for information like oxygen. However, this ESPN piece is, as Paterno termed it, a “witch hunt.”
Perhaps, as the ESPN piece suggests, Penn State began to recruit players with known character flaws in response to diminished on-field results. The thing that really irks me about the whole thing, however, is the way in which the piece attacks the venerable old bespectacled octogenarian. They question whether, or not the man is in control of his program and show a clip where he seems to be begging for the attention of an assistant, and a comical one where he states he’s “never sent a text message in my life.”
Were the Worldwide Leader going after any other coach with a lesser record, I wouldn’t be troubled, but ESPN has a stranglehold on college football media. If they want to send out the message that Joe Pa is a senile, out of touch old man with a gang of hoodlums running wild in the streets of State College, PA, then they’re perfectly capable of doing that. The WWL has been known to have an agenda, let’s hope for the good of college football that it isn’t to see Paterno leave in disgrace.
In my book, he’s earned the right to an honorable discharge.
