A few non-football things for a change

Well, Dana seems to refuse to write on this thing, so I know that her friends that read it are up to speed on my feelings about Bama football.  But they don't know what's been going on with us.  Here's a few of the little things that I find funny or need to tell you about:

-Dana is afraid of a lot of things.  If we're at a ballgame, she thinks about how the stadium is a perfect target for a terrorist.  Luckily Alabama only schedules jet fly-overs like once a year.  She's also afraid of creaks, cracks, dogs, other cars on the road when I'm driving, anytime I jump out from behind a door and yell, big crowds, and parties.

-I'm quite a Scrabble player.  Perhaps I'm rigging the game, but my record is close to 40-1 right now.  How do I rig it you ask?  Well, I wait until Gossip Girl is on, then I tell her I want to spend time together, but I don't care for that show.  Maybe she could watch the show and we'll play a game so I'll have something to do too.  Then she gets all caught up in whatever the bad teeth guy, bad voice girl, or butt-face dude is saying.  By the time I hear "X-O, X-O" my lead is insurmountable!!!!  This works with any of her TV shows, and then I don't feel so bad about either watching sports so much, or the tiny brain in my head.

-We made a Jack-o-lantern for Halloween too early again.  Yep, the little guy wouldn't last longer than a week.  He was so well crafted and scary looking.  By Halloween he was mercifully face down in our trash dumpster.  There were bugs and smells.

-We saw Coldplay in Atlanta.  It was fantastic, and worth the weeknight trip and money for tickets.  Except that now, Dana thinks that Chris Martin is hot.  Don't worry though,she'll come back around...I've been doing a British accent around the house, it's only a matter of time.

-There's a few things that I've brought to Dana that I think have become her favorite things.  Lost, Bama football, The Wire (which we have just begun its final season).  But she has brought something equally valuable to the table for me...Bob Dylan.  I used to think of him as an awesome song-writer whose best songs were done by somebody else.  But the man is a genius, a warrior poet, a challenged vocalist with a broken heart.  When Dana and I were dating, I thought it was cool that she liked Bob, but I wasn't all that into him.  We saw one of his shows together, but I didn't really understand anything he said, he was really old.  But I've enjoyed his stuff this last month or so and will continue. 

-One last thing, I'm predicting Bama 31 - AU 7.  That would bring nice symmetry to this awful period of suckitude.  2001's score will be 2008's I hope.

I'll leave you with a clip from long ago, but one that speaks to the heart.  Til next time, goodbye is too good a word, babe.  So I'll just say fare thee well...

The Road Back

You know, it has been a long and trying few years for Alabama football fans.  the kind of years that make you appreciate the boring brand of football Gene Stallings had us playing when he was here.  It wasn't fancy, or compelling, or even that interesting.  It was just...effective.  It was winning football.  It was beating Vandy 20-10.  

The last few years, there have been many false hopes that Bama was back.  Plenty of times I talked myself into thinking that Alabama could make a run to the SEC championship, or believing we were a top 10 team.  I think about 2005 when we started 9-0, but in the back of my mind, knowing that LSU and Auburn would probably beat us.  That our record was a product of Urban Meyer's 31-3 growing pains, and Fulmer having a down year, alongside some good luck on our part.  Things had to break right for us to have any chance at actually going to a BCS bowl and competing with USC or Oklahoma.  We would have to be lucky.

Well, Coach Saban...you have finally done it.  Yesterday, I gave no thought to which Bama shirt I was wearing.  Today I changed my desktop image from a Celtics picture to the Tide players celebrating the UT spanking.  It's not about the little superstitions anymore (although, I'll probably leave nothing to chance next weekend or for the Iron Bowl).  Today the BCS rankings will put us at number 1, and it is not a fluke.  It's not a product of luck, or Fulmer's down year again, or any "external factors" (a Saban staple at any press conference).  Sure, Texas had to lose.  But Alabama had to win too.  They've been winning.  17-14 against Kentucky.  24-20 against Ole Miss.  29-9 against the hated Volunteers.  It isn't always sexy (rarely is actually).  But it is a revelation!  It is unbelievably exciting for me.  I have thirsted for this type of success, and it's here!

Don't misunderstand.  I'm not declaring us the best in the land, the rest of the season will determine whether or not Alabama is actually #1.  What I'm saying is that I'm celebrating our rightful place in the discussion again.  We belong, and are legitimately talking about a national championship.  LSU could beat us.  Florida could most definitely beat us.  Auburn should not, but I don't want to talk about them.  The point is this:  I never expected this to happen this year.  One year ago, LSU was in this position coming to Tuscaloosa.  We're now the favorite in their place.  This is a classic case of playing with house money.  SEC championship, BCS bowl, national championship...that would all be gravy for me at this point (although I'd be heartbroken if we lost in the way Texas lost last night).  I'm remembering the lean years and just enjoying the conversation right now.  In two years, I won't be doing that.  I'll be expecting to compete every year for a BCS championship.  But for right now, I'll hoist a glass to "the sunny slopes of long ago" under Gene Stallings and his boring dominations have returned under a new regime...a Nicktatorship that will hopefully be in power for a long time.

In honor of Alabama's return to the number 1 ranking, I'll leave you with my favorite video they play on Saturdays at the stadium.

Welcome back, Bama.  I promise not to take you for granted again.