A nugget from Coach Bryant...

I absolutely loved the last part of John Pruett's column in the Huntsville Times on Wednesday. I must mention that reading Pruett has been a part of my life since the mid 70's. I'm glad he's still doing it. The letter he references was treasure from Coach Bryant. Coach Bryant really was a classy guy relative to how he treated people with politeness and kindness. An excerpt...

"Dear Bobby and Phil:

Thank you very much for your letter. I am highly flattered by your comments, particularly since you are fans of Auburn.

Appreciate you writing and hope each of you has a most Joyous Holiday Season.

Sincerely,

Paul Bryant

PB/lk

Nineteen days later, in his final game as Alabama's coach, Paul Bryant's team beat Illinois at the Liberty Bowl.

Four weeks after that, he died of heart failure in a Tuscaloosa hospital."

Bama stories from this week

Saban Equipping Tide to live up to Bama's storied past - ESPN.com
"For a place its critics insist is hopelessly consumed with the past, Alabama has never been more excited about its football future. Well, at least not since an icon by the name of Paul W. "Bear" Bryant was roaming the sidelines, which was 26 years and eight head coaches ago. Everywhere you turn in Tuscaloosa, there are reminders that it's a new day, a new game and a new way of doing things."

Alabama's new flagship radio station in Tuscaloosa is 95.3 FM, "The Bear" Country.

In Memory....Victor Ellis

11/24/79-3/25/08

Nick Saban March 24 Presser Parts 1 and 2

Part 1





Practice 3/26

Jay and Sara...

Listen to Jay and Sara talk about their love.....

What a lucky guy! "God bless the broken road!"

More on the life-saving shot....

Photo credit: Georgia State Signal

Co-author Sharp, who has more credibility on the subject than anyone (and I don't say that lightly) made a really good point when he said, "And a car is one of the most dangerous places to be in a tornado. Thanks, God. And Mykal."

Today I read a really good article from the Georgia State Signal on this providential shot:
"We were talking about it in the locker room during the delay," Riley told the AP on Saturday after the storm. "I think it was Brandon Hollinger who brought it up, and he and Ron Steele were saying that if we weren't in overtime, some people could be dead or injured and then everybody (the team) started talking about it (in the locker room). I've been thinking about it. I couldn't sleep last night because I kept thinking about it." It was a chilling revelation indeed; one that would keep anyone up at night. Some people do not believe in fate or God, but Riley saw it fit to be the only explanation for what happened that night. Riley continued, "A lot of people could be dead if that hadn't happened," the senior who set a record for eight three-pointers the night before the storm against Florida. "I believe it was God. I keep thinking about how the ball just rolled in. It was supposed to happen so that no one would be hurt. I believe God had His hand in that to protect the people who were in the Dome."

I also read a really good blog post about this by Sara Beth Fentress today. She writes, "I would like to take a look at God's sovereignty for just a few minutes. First Chronicles 29:11 confirms the sovereignty of God. "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all." Nothing happens to us without God's permission. Some of us picture God granting Satan permission to mess with our lives, then he frantically runs behind us trying to pick up the pieces because of the permission that He granted in the first place. The Lord is never surprised. Joni Eareckson Tada says it well: "Not only is God not frustrated or hindered by Satan's schemes, but God actually uses the devil's deeds to advance his kingdom and bring glory to himself. We can trust our sovereign God who works all things out for our good and his glory."

Offseason shocker

Okay. I did NOT see this coming. Lots of bachelors just got their hearts broken, I'm sure. Sorry, Mike!

Ex-Tide QB jay Barker and Country Superstar Sara Evans to Wed

Country music star Sara Evans is engaged to marry former Crimson Tide quarterback Jay Barker, People.com reported Monday.
Evans, 37, filed for divorce from former political candidate Craig Schelske in 2006 while she was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. A bitter and widely-publicized divorce was finalized in September 2007.

Barker, 35, who hosts The Morning Drive radio show on WJOX-FM, led Alabama to a national championship in 1992. On this morning’s The Morning Drive, Barker and Evans discussed a summer wedding date.

Evans also spoke of moving to Birmingham to be with Barker. “I love Birmingham and I want to move there,” Evans said. “Every time I come there, it’s just, the people are so friendly…. It’s a great city. I can’t wait to be there and I can’t wait to put myself into Jay’s world and Jay’s life.”

Paul Finebaum has blessed the union, so it must be okay, right? He says. "She's got a number-one hit on her hands if someone can write a song about their love story."

The shot that saved lives

Alabama's Mykal Riley hit a desperation three pointer at the buzzer to send the SEC tournament game against Mississippi State into overtime at the Georgia Dome on March 14, 2008.

Many meteorologists do not think it is an overstatement to say that this shot saved lives. If this shot was not made, thousands of people would have been outside the Georgia Dome during an EF2 tornado. These people would have been subjected to winds blowing debris at over 130 miles per hour.

March 11 Saban Pressers Parts 1 and 2

Nick Saban's first spring press conference of 2008 (rather non-controversial and non abrasive with the press for a change).

Articles this week...

Under Center - Ivan Maisel - ESPN.com
"What Alabama hath wrought: If Shawn Garrity is right, spring football will never be the same. When 92,000-plus fans filled Bryant-Denny Stadium last April for coach Nick Saban's Crimson Tide debut, they caught the attention of Garrity, an event promoter who lettered in football at Syracuse in 1986, and his friend, former Cal All-American running back Chuck Muncie. The two of them had been searching for a way to raise awareness and funds to support Cal's attempts to renovate Memorial Stadium and build a new football building."

Tide spring game will feature Jackson - SI.com
"Country singer Alan Jackson will perform at Bryant-Denny Stadium on April 11, the eve of Alabama's spring game. It will be the first live performance held at the stadium since the university's Football Centennial Celebration in 1992."

Alabama Football: Wounded Tide gears up for spring practice - Montgomery Advertiser
"Alabama coach Nick Saban said his team's offseason workouts are leaps and bounds ahead of where it was a year ago. The Crimson Tide is currently undergoing its "Fourth Quarter Program" in the weight room while a number of players recover from offseason surgery in preparation for spring practice in two weeks. "We've set a strong pace for our team to improve and most of the players have bought into it and worked very hard," Saban said. "Consistency in performance will determine our future success and that starts with a lot of hard work." Saban said one of the goals for the team is to play with more consistency. not to play up and down with the competition." He added that a higher level of play "is not something that happens in a day." This is like climbing a mountain. We're going to work hard and we're probably somewhere around base camp right now and we need to keep working at it."

Some recent articles....

Sounds of school spirit bring profit - LA Times - 3/1/08
Alabama football fans can buy pens, ties, video games, phones and socks that play the Crimson Tide's fight song, and a New York company is humming the tune all the way to the bank.

Saban commits to SEC Classic - Columbus Ledger - 3-1-08
Blair Brown needed a headliner for the second annual SEC Celebrity Golf Classic, which will be played at the Country Club of Columbus in May. Former Alabama and NFL defensive back Jeremiah Castille, now the chaplain for the Crimson Tide football team, told Brown to come up with a wish list of celebrities to participate in the charity event. Wanting and getting are two different things, so Brown was a little shocked when he received an e-mail recently from the executive assistant for Alabama head football coach Nick Saban. Saban is the highest profile guest to commit to playing in the event scheduled for Mon., May 5.

It's Official: Gridiron Bash, Alan Jackson for A-Day - Birmingham News
The University of Alabama and New York City-based MSL Sports and Entertainment today announced that the university will host Gridiron Bash™ The Ultimate Fan Competition™ the day before the annual A-Day Game. The event - the first of its kind at Bryant-Denny Stadium - will take place April 11 and include a live performance by Grammy award-winning country singer-song writer Alan Jackson, as well as a giant pep rally introducing the team, appearances by coaches, video highlights, and other festive fan activities.