So it begins...

From the same folks who introduced you to Julio Jones last summer...

it's Getting To Know Greg McElroy.

So, it'd be kind of nice if I could make a habit out of introducing you to The Next Big Thing at The Capstone year after year but for now I'll just take it one season at a time.

PS: What's that you say? Greg McElroy looks vaguely familiar? Well, you might remember him from this... The Good Lord knows I do.

Pancakes and Coffee has a nice ring to it though...

Really, I'm just posting this to revel a bit more with advanced apologies to one of my newbie commentators, Tamara. I promise it's not personal, it's football. :)


PS: Be sure to vote ---------> (Plumberboy, I think we can afford this so long as it only happens every six or 7 years. However, I'm TOTALLY content if this series gets too rich for our blood.

Dang Mama! (in my best Ellen Page on SNL voice)

This is just crazy. But I don't feel bad for him... nope, not one iota. I've always believed that BIG-time talent almost always comes with BIG-time attitudes, despite pro players having about the best job on the planet.

Okay, it's the beginning of a very busy week so I'm probably not going to post much here (unless a debate breaks out between me and anonymous from Dothan) but I will mention that our sweet JJ dog is in the hospital. It appears he has a nasty case of pancreatitis so he's the hospital for a couple of days. I think he'll be okay but he is 9 years old now so all bets are off. Regardless, he's probably enjoying his break from the kiddos and Miss Sassy, not to mention that obnoxious runt Cotton. He probably thinks he's at Club Med or maybe Heaven? Sometimes (okay, a lot of times) I wish I could get a nice little stay in the hospital but to be honest, I'd settle for bedrest so don't feel bad for me if that ever happens. I imagine the sleep you get in a coma is just delightful...

(Now I suspect I'll get some sort of lecture from my dad about this post!)

Anyway, enjoy your week and don't be an Andre.

Frazer Tonight

Siran Stacy is scheduled to speak tonight at Frazer United Methodist Church in Montgomery tonight (like soon, maybe a couple of hours?) and hopefully you'll consider going if there's still time. Either way, please take a few moments to watch these videos (here and here... sorry, I cannot get them to embed into blogger for anything. Get thee behind me, Satan!) of Siran Stacy's recent visit to WSFA in Montgomery to share his testimony. I beg all of you to ask yourselves if what you have faith in would sustain you through such a tragedy, or really any tragedy at all (or what about just everyday life?) May God continue to be with Siran and his daughter as they go about their mission...


PS: I promise you this, I would HEART Siran Stacy no matter the color of his former uniform so obviously I feel blessed and humbled that he once donned the crimson jersey!

Recruiting for Dummies

Sorry for my recent absence but we have lots going on in our household right now (perhaps I'll elaborate here someday) but I know y'all are clamoring for my take on yesterday's NSD (which is National Signing Day for those not in the know about such things.) I would really, really LOVE to expound but time just won't allow. (In fact, timewise, I shouldn't be posting at all right now.) So just read this per Rivals.com. Anyway, if you're too lazy to click on the link, I can condense it for you with "Bama won the recruiting 'championship' again."

And I'll add that this is starting to look a lot like a juggernaut. That's not to be confused with Jagermeister, which you might want to start chugging if you hate Bama. But hey, why worry? Saban still has to coach 'em up...Muuuuhahahahahaha!!!!

PS: Here's some bonus insight from NSD. Lane Kiffin is a ....

My toe hurts...

but this takes my mind off the pain:



I'm pretty sure that's the head ref from last night's BCS Championship game. And for those of you who care, I was in fact pulling for The Gators. Seriously, who doesn't love Tim Tebow? (Okay, there's probably at least one. As for me, I may eventually purchase a 1-5 UF jersey. That's fair warning, P-Paw and Plumberboy. I'm sorry, but he's the definition of "nothing but a winner.") And for me the Bammer, it means that we only lost to the AP's final #1 and #2. That's the good news. The bad news is that you were 12-0 beforehand and controlled your own destiny regarding another national championship. Oh well... I'd much rather win one in Pasadena anyway (yes, that's a vain attempt to mask the pain... which at this point appears to be manifesting itself as a throbbing, aching left little toe.)

PS: Dear Sooners, do not feel bad... it happens to the best of us. We were most definitely Tebow'd this season too!

Well, who wants to be Muhammad Ali anyway???

They called it Ali v. Frazier and that's how it felt. There were punches. There were counterpunches. There were the equivalents of sucker punches by UF's Brandon Spikes. In the end, Bama was knocked out of the title ring by Florida Tim Tebow. Saturday night was the closest we've ever had to a playoff and Bama didn't make the cut so I won't complain in the least about being 12-1 but left out of the title game. The stronger team won and that's good for the game. I just can't wait until we're the stronger team... but I suspect I won't have to wait long. If Saban recruits this offseason like he did during the last offseason, we'll all have to explore the word "juggernaut" and how it applies relative to Bama's current situation. A'ight?

That said, man, it always feels colder after a loss in December. And it was raw in Atlanta on Saturday night. Despite being numbingly cold after the game, that loss stung... for the fans, the coaches, and most definitely the players. Nobody wanted the magic to end (at least not in the Bama camp, though I suspect the Jen(n)s are happy!) We all wanted the senior players to go out on top, where they deserved to be. We all wanted to give Saban a triumphant return to Miami. I personally wanted one last title season so I can semi-retire. I'm tired exhausted. I'm broke. My kids are older and I want to spend more time with them on the weekends as what used to be a weekend respite is now the hassle of all hassles. But there's no doubt about it, a win on Saturday night would have made it all worth it.

Still, I'm proud. Very proud. We won't be back. We are back. Our future is bright. We're back in the BCS Sugar Bowl (cha-ching)... but this time it's not so sweet. Thanks for EVERYTHING, players and coaches. See you in '09!

PS: With Christmas right around the corner, I won't be updating here as much as I would like. I know you are all are just lost without your daily Steph fix :) so I've started a twitter account. I believe you can "follow" me by going to twitter.com/bamasteph.

They went to the game and all I got was this lousy sign...

So there's a decent chance I'll be on TV at some point during the SEC Championship tomorrow. Plumberboy and I are sitting down low in the Alabama endzone, most likely somewhere near the UA band. I'll probably be wearing a crimson and white striped shirt and holding a sign that reads "Thanks Freddy & Doris... Matthew 7:11" Freddy and Doris are the sweet people that sold us their tickets (for face value!) and here's the Bible verse I'm referring to because I KNOW who really put those tickets in my hand. Roll Tide guys! :)

Jesus said, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"

Not that it will sway the public opinion...

Hey Nick, don't feel too bad. This wasn't your fault... or was it?

Really, people should listen to me more often...

Hopefully all the Aubo readers took my advice and studied up on Mike Leach. They will be hearing that name a good bit over the next few days. Just for anybody who's keeping up, that does in fact make #4. Coincidence? I think not.

Who'd ever thunk I could recycle the title "Nada"?

Iron Bowl highlights

What more is there to say? That game was everything I knew had hoped it would be. Well, maybe I wished the margin of victory would have been a little greater but I'll take it. :) Bama has been down and oh-so-out over the past few years so it has not been easy to remain a true fan, especially considering the sacrifices made. But yesterday, it was totally worth it. It was like an out-of-body experience. (And I saw more action at the game yesterday than the one in Baton Rouge... score!) I'd do it 100 times over if I could. ROLL TIDE.

PS: Honestly, I figured a blowout was a'coming. Not because Bama/I wanted it so BAD but that's the way the Xs and Os matched up. That's not a slam on Auburn, it's a football truth. Kudos to those Aubos who were realistic in their expections and an even bigger kudos to those who stayed for the entire 4 quarters. I can respect that.

Crap! We changed the battery in our camera and the date was messed up. Ugh, I'll always remember that date though!

Two words:

Just win!

Geronimooooooooooooo!!!!!*

Doggone it! I really REALLY wanted Bama to be the ones who got to do this to Texas Tech. How good would it feel to smack talk smack to this guy??? (I had at least a hundred one-liners for him, all of which had to do with the fact that he wears MAKEUP to play football!)

Sure, OU is good. Real good. But come on, how many times do I have to tell you (read: quote Bear Bryant)... the same things win that always won. (And you can bet they have a bunch of different excuses for losing!) Hey Tech... why so serious?????

*That's my best guess as to what Mike Leech hollered out as Tech plummeted out of the BCS Top 5.

On second thought...

OF NOTE: Be forewarned, the video link below contains foul language as well as an unhealthy fascination with gynecological matters. Watch with caution (or don't watch at all and just imagine a bunch of LSU fans being--gasp!--vulgar.)

My dad emailed me this link earlier today but luckily I had just taken my diuretic/blood pressure pill so I think I'm okay (though I'm not sure I'll chance watching it a second time!) Now I'm really beginning to wonder if I AM quite intimidating after all because we got almost nothing of that sort. I did have a middle-aged woman yell at us as we first unloaded the shuttle bus but I just kept walking, arms outstretched on each side, and announced that I could do that "all day... all day!" The truth is, if you start trash-talking me (especially in a vain attempt to intimidate me) I will honestly just walk a little slower. While I try not to get in-yo-face confrontational for various reasons, I will make it known that I'm not going to tuck tail and run. You can take that to the bank (though all bets are off if I have my kids with me but let's not go there...) Anyway, I give mad props to the girls in the video for their little experiment. I cannot imagine what their motives were but if it was giving us a real-life definition (with video) of a DB (and I'm not talking about a position in football) then they should consider themselves a success!

ROLL TIDE SUCKAS!

PS: Is that guy serious with the chihuahua?!?!? I'm a lover of dogs--itty bitty dogs most certainly included--but don't "Tigah bait" somebody with a 2-lb dog... it embarasses your school. Miss Sassy (If You Nasty) would eat that thing as an appetizer. Heck, Cotton might too.

PPS: Here's a cool pic that will keep the pain a'lingerin' a bit longer for the corndogs...

PPPS: (No seriously, that's the last "p" for this post... I promise!): If you can stomach more, you can read the accompanying article written by one of the LSU-decked-out-in-Bama-gear-all-for-the-sake-of-journalism girls. Seriously, it SOOOOOOOO woulda been on if I had been grabbed in any form or fashion. Alas, my trip was rather blase... and everyone in my family breathes a collective sigh of relief (while Plumberboy exclaims that "bail" was not in the budget!)

Yet another reason I'm growing REALLY fond of Nick Saban (NOW UPDATED WITH TWO VIDEOS!)

Here's a direct quote--update: turns out to be more of a paraphrase but tomato, tamato--from Nick Saban's call-in radio show last night (courtesty of Ian Rapoport's blog... I always try to give credit where credit is due):

"On paper, people say we should beat Mississippi State," Saban said, getting worked up. "But this team has worked its tail off and won in some hostile environments and done everything we've asked them to do. And when you get to that stadium, I don't give a (beep!) who we're playing, you have to be loud for what these guys have done. You have to show some appreciation for what they've done. If you want to know how I feel, THAT'S HOW I FEEL!"

Duly noted...I'll be there (freezing my biscuits off) but will do my best to be loud. A'ight?

UPDATE: (Fast forward to about the 2:45 if you want to hear the quote OR just watch the whole thing and get really fired up!)

PS: That's not as overall entertaining as Saban Dance but it's a close 2nd. Hey Nick, you were born to coach at The Capstone!

I believe the Crimson Nation finally (and I mean finally!) has an answer to this age-old question:

I'm home...

...safe and sound. Can you believe it?!?!? More to follow soon but don't get your hopes up as my first trip to the legendary Death Valley was wholly uneventful. Except, uh, that little winning thang.

SABAN: Bama would accept no Les*

*I can't take credit for that little one-liner... I saw it on some pins this weekend!

Yeah, you're right... it was definitely NOT about the coaches, this was about The University of Alabama and baby, that was Alabama football!

PS: That was NOT me on TV right after Rashad Johnson's pick-six but no less than six separate (and by separate I mean located in different states!) people have called/emailed to see if that was in fact me. I think she was a college girl sitting in the Bama section (we were entrenched in a LSU section... boo hiss! But we were there... hip hip hooray!) so a big ole THANKS to those of you who saw any resemblance at all. :)

PPS: Sorry for the screwed up format of the pictures. I don't know why I can't get them to the correct size anymore (ie: fitting onto your screen) but I'll keep trying to work on it. Let me know if you have any pointers...

Good Riddance!

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah.... hey, hey, hey.... goodbye.



Don't look so sad,Phil! This one's for you... I believe it's called "Once I had a job on Rocky Top"



PS: If my hair was as gorgeous as Crystal Gayle's, I would totally grow it that long, maybe longer. I'm just sayin...

"Sunovabiscuit!"*

Well, I'm pretty sure that's not exactly what Phil Fulmer said but potato, patato. If I wasn't so tired I'd stay up and listen to his postgame conference on the net just to see if he resigns. Alas, I'm tired (and still trying to kick a cold) and oh so ready for bed. Hopefully I'll actually get some sleep tonight despite the fact that Ricky Bobby is attending his first-ever sleepover party tonight. Ugh...very hard for me to accept this fact but it is what it is. And by "it" I really mean that I don't have any babies anymore. :(

But Bama is 8-0 so :)

*Hey, I know those refs blew some calls but please ask me how much I care. Sure, a phantom offensive pass interference plus a questionably close fumble call went in our favor tonight but ya know, Phil was the stinkin' "secret witness" (read: SNITCH) in the case that dang-near brought us the death penalty (and for all intents and purposes would have for any other program in the division formerly known as 1-A) so I'd say that's still advantage UT. Choke on it, Big Orange!

Roll Tide!

If plumbing is now the political, then what's the personal? It's the UA-UT game, that's what!

I think I pretty much covered my feelings for UT last year so I thought I'd let the old-timers take it over this year. Below is a thread of comments from Ian Rapoport's blog on al.com and I think it perfectly encapsulates our fanbase's collective opinion of Tennessee.

PS: Feel free to start your own thread here! ROLL TIDE...


Posted by 69alumni on 10/20/08 at 8:48PM
Well I hope they know the rivalry of the UT game, if the new ones don't they will by Sunday morning. I grew up 3 miles from the TN state line and from the time I new what a football was, I have hated UT. I don't hate Auburn but I HATE UT. I pull for Bama and who ever plays TN. Too many fights I guess back and forth across the state line in my younger days I guess. It would make me happy if we beat them 100 to 0. Yeah, I grew riding the school bus with that dumb a$$ Wendell Smith and graduated from high school with the other dumb a$$ R. Keller that were part of the probation mess. I personally always thought Smith was a TN fan but my wife ( a cousin of his) says he wasn't. Anyway, Roll Tide Beat the hell of UT

Posted by lebowski1 on 10/20/08 at 8:58PM
I remember when before the game the other teams band would play the other teams fight song. That's before Alabama cheated and Phil turned them in and this game got ugly.

Posted by joelarbear on 10/20/08 at 9:07PM
Yep, Bama cheated. Thank goodness Tennessee never did. T Martin never accepted a dime, did he lebowski1, you hypocrite. This game's always been ugly. Study your history. Check into the first time these two teams played. I know what happened, do you?

Posted by probama on 10/20/08 at 9:08PM
So Ian.....a TuPac photo. Im impressed....... R.I.P. It strikes me as (something?) that the picture is from a cd with a title that could, in a sense, describe the Alabama football team this year.For those of you who dont know, it is: ALL EYES ON ME!
Wasnt it Donta Hightower who came up and stopped the OM runner on 4th and a half-yard? His effort on that play alone was worth a couple of game-balls if you ask me.
The taste of koolaid should now be thoroughly washed out after these last two weeks. The offensive line just had their first game where they really didnt win their battle at all, so they should be really fired up. Like CNS said, OM is a good football team. Very physical.More physical in their lines than I expected. UT will be ready sat, butI expect Bama will be hitting on all cylinders for this one. If so - The Tide is gonna roll big.
Roll Tide!!!

Posted by lebowski1 on 10/20/08 at 9:24PM
Hey bear, did I say Tenn was clean? Fact is we got caught they didn't. Everyone cheats but the NCAA was out to get BAMA along with fat Phil. As I said earlier, out of respect (and you true BAMA fans that have been going to games a long time) each teams band would play the other teams fight song before the game, at that time it was pretty cool. Now both teams and fans hate each other.

Posted by joelarbear on 10/20/08 at 9:38PM
As I posted, read your history. This is a quote from Al Browning's book THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER. "The first meeting between Alabama and Tennesse set the stage for the series. It ended with two thosand fans on the field fighting. Nothing was resolved that day. The teams played to a 6-6 tie. But Birmingham hosted a red-letter event in sports history on November 28, 1901, and wounds were opened that have never been totally healed."Read your history. Alabama and Tennesse have always hated each other. I personally consider it a bigger rivalry than Bama - Auburn.

Posted by Whahoo35124 on 10/20/08 at 9:46PM
Damn right "WE" BAMA fans hate Tennessee ! Fullmer is a back stabbing low life cheating snitch.

Posted by joelarbear on 10/20/08 at 9:59PM
As far as your "true Bama fans" comment goes, I was selling cokes, programs and parking cars to get in to the games in the 70's. The first game I attended was in the 1968 season against Miami. I am a TRUE Bama fan from way back.

Posted by Crimsonwood on 10/20/08 at 10:22PM
(Editor's Note: This comment was deleted out of respect to my Aub friends.)

Posted by IanRRapoport on 10/20/08 at 10:59PM
Pro: What can I say? I grew up on it. I Get Around was my favorite song for about four years... Between him and Biggie, that's all I needed... (Editor's Note: Ian, seriously?!?!? I bet you also do the white boy frat-daddy dance in your Newbies at parties. Monticeto... where you at?)

Posted by tiderollsga on 10/20/08 at 11:11PM
I never remember the bands playing each others fight song. The Tennessee band only knows one song and they play it over and over. This game was the first football game ever televised, sometime back in the 50s I think. Alabama and Tennessee are both in the top 10 in all time wins so are considered among the elite of college football traditions (Sorry War Eagles you have had some good years, but only 1 NC. even Ole Miss has 3 NCs, not sure how many Tennessee has, but its more than 3 ). It is one of the great rivalries and will always be so. When SEC divided in to two divisions, Alabama-Tennessee was the reason for at least one permanent opponent from the other division. Most Alabama fans love the rivalry, and don't hate Tennessee, they just hate Fat Phil.

Posted by probama on 10/21/08 at 12:49AM
Ian. I hear you. Me too. I really liked and appreciated his work thatwas a little more um...serious though. I can still dig some Biggie. (Editor's Note: Ha.Ha.)
tiderollsga - Speak for yourself...I hate Tennessee. Always have.Always will. No matter who's ever been coaching. In fact, UT is theonly team in the country that I truly despise.
Roll Tide

Posted by jarrekk on 10/21/08 at 5:40AM
re: Tenn, Ala. rivalry; wasn't it these games ( regardless of the home team) that "first" started these "record-breaking crowds?" How anyone could not know that Tn used to be (and still one of) our biggest rivalries is beyond me. I'm not even from here and I knew this.

Posted by tampabama66 on 10/21/08 at 6:55AM
TENN -v- BAMA is a big game and all the players know it. These teams played in the first nationally televised college football game in the early 70's. I think 1971.
Having said that, the game took on more significance in the late '60s because of D-Coordinator Coach Ken Donahue. He was a lineman at Tenn in the 50's with my cousin Charley Stokes while Jim Goosetree was a trainer at Tenn at the time. Coach Donahue went on to be Coach Bryant's D-Coordinator for over 20 years and Goostree was the head trainer at Bama for many years.
Coach Donahue and Goosetree did not want to lose to Tenn and they would talk about the significance of the game all week leading up to the game. I can hear him now, "Here come the Vols, they're coming after you Saturday, you better be ready". Coach Donahue brought the cigar tradiation to Alabama and he really pumped the rivalry up. In fact, if we won, Coach Donahue would do a little 'victory dance' in front of the whole team on Monday before afternoon practice. It was very out of character for him, so we all wanted to see that dance.
This game meant a lot to Coach Bryant, Coach Donahue and Goosetree and therefore, it was a big, big game for us as players too.
My favorite story is that in the Tenn game in 1981 our center Steve Mott got player of the game because NG Reggie White didn't make a tackle all day. The secret is that White didn't even play over Mott that day. He played over the guard because of their defensive alignment that day but because he didn't make a tackle all day, Mott got the award that should have gone to Doug Vickers.
I'm ready for the Vols! Let's put toe to leather. When we win Coach Donahue can do a little irish jig in heaven.

Posted by keith03582 on 10/21/08 at 7:25AM
Ah finally the 3 saturday in October, well the 4th this year but still its time for some serious football. This is the type of game where records dont matter, TN is only a 6 point underdog. Good thing we run the ball alot, that should make Berry a bit more useless and since our special teams is our weakest link, dont kick it to him. ROLL TIDE!!!!

Derelict of duty

I know, I know. I haven't talked much football around these parts lately. My sincerest apologies for that but please know that I most definitely have not forgotten about football. :) Anyway, I don't really have much to contribute since last week was a bye for Bama and well, I just don't have words for all the other *ahem* situations elsewhere in the SEC. But since pictures are worth a 1,000 words, here's one that I believe is entitled Elephants Stifling Laughs While Trying Not to Burst Appendices. It should be available online.

Okay, now to my thoughts on this weekend's game. The Crimson Nation is pumped... in a fight-or-flight kinda way so don't think the fans are overlooking this weekend's game. Most (including Plumberboy) have been fearful of this game with Ole Miss since last year's game in Oxford. First, UM is definitely seeking revenge for what they feel (but in actuality was not) an unjust ruling that ultimately ended last year's game. Second, they are now coached by Houston Nutt and he's about as wily and unpredictable as, well, Houston Nutt. And now that Bama has a big ole target on its back (rivaled only in size by Texas'), our team has to be prepared this week and every week like it's the Orange Bowl. I'm personally not that "worried" about this week. Saban's teams have a habit of performing very well coming off a bye week so I think they will be fully prepared. Now next week's game in Knoxville, that's a whole 'nother story! But being an honorary cap'n and all, I'll lead by example and only concentrate on this week for now. I'm just praying Plumberboy makes a speedy recovery from a nasty head cold before tomorrow or else I might need to have a little blog giveaway for his ticket. :)

Well, I guess it's back to work now on the homefront... where I have most definitely abandoned my post as of late. Happy Friday!