Thank Goodness!

Welcome Back Top 5

Every once in a while, I get the urge to do a "Top 5" on here, but for whatever reason (read: they block blogs of any kind at my school because of...y'know, people who would waste time on them), I don't do it.

Well, I have a day off today, and thought I'd throw a few out there in honor of the Bama-UT game tomorrow.

Top 5 things I've envied about other college fan bases/ Game Day experience:

1. Basketball expertise at UK. A few weeks ago, we went to Lexington for the Bama-UK game. At 2 am on Friday night, the streets near campus were lined with tents and bundled up fans, waiting for their UK basketball tickets. I wasn't envious of that - Tide fans would obviously camp out at the base of an active volcano - it's not a matter of fan dedication. No, what I was envious of was that at 2 am, the public b'ball courts were full and I watched a pair of young UK fans execute a perfect backdoor cut and lay-in. That may happen in Tuscaloosa...but not with the frequency that it would happen up in Lexington. I'm envious of basketball country in their backyard.

2. LSU's Death Valley at night. Look, they're awful to opposing fans, they're drunk and obnoxious, they throw things on the field (a pet peeve of mine), and it smells weird there. But the fan intensity is at a level I would describe as "threatening." Bama fans get loud on every 3rd down...of a game in which they feel threatened. I'd like it if there was more standing up, more crowd noise on non-3rd down plays, and for us to have the same rowdiness that you find in Baton Rouge. Our fans have the drunken obnoxious part down, now let's get the intimidating the other team part down. Don't get me wrong, we have a home field advantage (especially at night). It's just not as significant as it should be.

3. The nickname. Bryant-Denny has no cool nickname. The Swamp, Between the Hedges, Death Valley, The Big House, etc. It's just Bryant-Denny Stadium. We're in the process of closing in the South endzone, and I think when they unveil it, they should unveil a nickname with it...searching for one right now, but I got nothing.

4. The Gator Bait Cheer. It's simple, it's short, and it gets the job done. Dahhhhh Dah Dah Da-duh-Da GATOR BAIT!

5. The Navy: Obviously, I must preface this one with how much I despise UT. They are a terrible group of fans, with a terrible stadium, in a terrible place covered with terrible and non-matching shades of orange (the most terrible color). The one thing about their gameday set-up that is pretty neat is that the stadium sits on the banks of a river (I think it's the Tennessee River), and on Saturday it is lined with boats and they can tailgate on the water. But they still suck, and I feel dirty even giving them a smidge of credit for anything...especially the day before the game against them.

Top 5 things I think are awesome about being an Alabama Fan:

1. Our coach - He's worshipped here and I'm not covering anything new here, but when you have someone who is the perfect fit for a college fan base, it is magical. Nick Saban is never satisfied, never stops working, never stops recruiting, and I don't think he'll ever stop winning until he retires. This fan base has always expected the coach and players to take the game as seriously as they do. If it is possible, I think Saban wants to win more than any of our "crazy, unrealistic" fans. He's worth every penny, and I wouldn't trade him for all the things in the first Top 5 combined. Watch the first 30 seconds of this video and prepare for the goosebumps:

2. The pre-game videos - They are a great mix of old highlights and new ones. The crowd gets really into it when they see a highlight they recognize (which is every one of them), but it's like hearing an old favorite song, or spotting an old friend. You identify it "Hey that's when Langham jumped in front of the pass in the '92 SEC championship," then you tell your personal experience, "I was freezing that night, and lost my voice for a week after, but that was a FUN night!" and then you stay glued to the screen for the next one to come up.

3. The Rammer Jammer. No it's not very nice, but it's a fun way to celebrate winning. And as Steve Spurrier once said, "If you don't like it, then do something about it." On the flip side of singing the Rammer Jammer is when one of your rivals wins and sings it at you. And yes, it is a terrible feeling.

4. Our uniforms. I'm really glad that Alabama has great colors and traditional, unchanging uniforms. I think they're sharp, recognizable, and timeless. One day I'll do a Top 5 uniforms list.

5. Eli Gold's voice as he says, "TOUCH-down ALA-BAMA" after a big play or when you can hear how excited he is about the play while trying to remain professional. He's nowhere near the Homer that most teams have calling their games, which is good and bad. He's got a great radio voice...and face.

Top 5 Alabama-UT games for me:

1. 2002. Dennis Franchione ends a 7-year losing streak to UT in Knoxville. 34-14. My first victory cigar, my friend Steven throwing up because of his first victory cigar (and thus being ragged about it mercilessly by me), Putting a beatdown on a Clausen is always fun.

2. 2005. Mike Shula wins the game without any real offensive plays on a last second field goal. That was the second-loudest Rammer Jammer I've ever heard. This was among the ugliest games ever (Final of 6-3), but when the winning kick went through, I teared up a little at the bottom of the dog pile of friends.

3. 2007. Sitting with my buddy Martin on the edge of the UT fan section, and waving goodbye to all the Vols fans as they filed out early from a 41-17 thrashing and the first of many they'd suffer at Nick Saban's mighty hand. Not sure if Martin regrets asking me to go that game or not - I was in rare form. As we walked out, there was a banner with Fat Phil Fulmer's face on it and under it was the slogan "The Biggest Loser on the Saban Diet," nicely done.

4. 1993. Even though it pains me to include a tie in here instead of a victory, I get a sick satisfaction out of thinking of the UT fans that had waited so long to end their losing streak to Alabama (8 years), and then had to watch us rally to tie the game in Knoxville with a WR playing quarterback.

5. 1990. UT is ranked 3rd and looking like a national powerhouse. Bama starts the year 0-3, and is only just starting to look like a team by the time the game comes around. UT lines up for a field goal with 30 seconds left, we block it. The ball bounces back 30 yards in the other direction (which is good because we couldn't move it on offense anyway). We run one play and then kick a field goal to stun the Knoxville crowd 9-6.

Roll Tide! Bama 31- UT 10, mark it an 8...as in 8-0.

I want to be on record...

As I sit here watching the Red Sox locked in a 1-1 game where Josh Beckett is dealing, I'm remembering how I thought (but didn't say) that the Sox should have started him in Game 1 of this series with the Angels of Anaheim, CA formerly the LA Angels...of Anaheim...California).

It made me think: "Hey, this is one of the biggest sports weekends I can remember this year. Since I'm so smart, maybe I should put some thoughts down on the old blog. Y'know, so I can get credit when every single one of my predictions/thoughts on the upcoming games plays out before all the eyes of our 4 readers."

(It should be noted that the Red Sox failed to score in Game 1, so Sandy Koufax could have started and it probably would have still resulted in an eventual loss to the Angels...of Anaheim.

Some monster games this weekend to watch, BUT while I'll be glued to the TV for the Florida-LSU game, it WON'T have the implications that everyone in the media is acting like it will. For instance, if Florida loses (won't happen), their season is still very much alive. If LSU loses, but then wins out (also won't happen), then their season would not be derailed tomorrow. Something you already know: if Florida somehow doesn't win, the justification will either be:

A) Tebow didn't play, how could a team lose the best player ever and then still win on the road in the toughest environment imaginable?

B) Tebow may have played, but he didn't practice for over a week. How could an offense so dependent upon timing and sharpness be asked to win on the road after not being able to have their QB in practice for that week?

This is all bull crap, you see. Regardless of your feelings about Tebow (I think he's the most effective player the SEC has seen), this is still a game that revolves around a team a lot more than the Orlando Sentinel would have you believe. Florida has the better team, the better coach, and the better QB (whichever one plays). Bottom line is that LSU is just not that good.

Florida 27 LSU 13

The Aubies have been chirping and it gets louder every week they don't lose. It will stop this week. True, Arkansas can't stop anyone. Seriously, Dana and I cold go run the option on them for 300 yards this Saturday. But, they will be at home. Auburn can't stop a real offense either. For anyone that is about to say, "Hey what about UT's offense? They stopped them..." Take a breath...remember that Jonathan Crompton is the UT quarterback and that in the time it takes you to read this, he's thrown 2 interceptions and 3 incompletions.

Arkansas will do just enough on defense and Petrino will have sniffed this out already as a game he can and should win, and will therefore pull out all the stops to do it. Look for somewhere between 5-10 trick plays.

Arkansas 44 AU 41

Georgia can't hold on to the ball. Lucky for them, Tennessee can't either. This could be the ugliest game the SEC has been subjected to since last year's MSU - Auburn game (final score 3-2). Those of you that know me, already know that there's no way that I'm going to pick Tennessee if there's a way for me not to. Refer to the previous paragraph about Jonathan Crompton and you'll see my way to pick UGA. Late pick 6, followed by the embattled quarterback being mobbed by his own angry fans after the game. Luckily, there won't be enough teeth in that crowd to inflict any real damage and he'll still be able to make his next start and continue bring smiles to faces all over Alabama.

UGA 16 UT 7

I said it at the beginning of the season and I'll say it again: Alabama won't lose to Ole Miss. Of course, I began this blog by citing my support of Josh Beckett because he was unhittable, and he's since given up 3 more runs. So, what do I really know? Well, I do watch a lot of Bama football games. This year's team is awesome when they decide to be awesome. Against Kentucky (who surprised them by coming right at them), I felt like both the offense and the defense had stretches where they said "Enough is enough. We're not letting them stop us here or get this first down...We will dictate the outcome of this play." And then they did. It's good and bad. I'd like for them to go ahead and put games away, but it's nice to see them respond when the other team puts them in a tough spot as Kentucky did a couple of times early.

Ole Miss is a victim of media crappiness. They've been paying for media overreaction since the end of last year, saying how they were the best in the SEC west, and now they're paying for the media's overreaction to their loss on the road at South Carolina. "Overrated! I knew it all along!" I call BS on that for two reasons:

1. They're not a bad football team, they just had a bad night. Their coach is at his best when taken lightly and at his worst when taken seriously. Ole Miss is the new version of Arkansas, and Houston Nutt is the reason why. Really, they've always been the same team in our eyes. So, they're not bad...they're just not who the media thought they were.

2. Houston Nutt is one tricky man. Just when you're ready to say it's over for his team, he pulls out some win that he had no business getting. I'm banking that Bama won't be that win, but that he'll get it somewhere else (against Les Miles?).

If Alabama comes out flat like they did against Kentucky, Ole Miss will make them pay. But Ole Miss can't close us out even if they somehow jump out to a lead. Here's why: Alabama closes out games. There was only one team that was a better finisher than us last year. It wasn't Ole Miss, and it isn't them this year either. Ole Miss jumps out to a 6 point lead. McElroy settles down and does his Joe Montana thing. Ingram and Richardson pound away. McClain makes a big play in the 4th. Alabama wins

Bama 31 Ole Miss 20

Youkilis just doubled, the team needs me. I'm on record for football. That could be a bad thing this time tomorrow night.

A Tag about Us

Thanks to my old friend Camille, I've finally been tagged! How thrilling. I like tagging mainly because it gives me something to write about without having to come up with it on my own. How pathetic is that? I guess at the end of a long work day, answering random questions just sounds more fun. Thanks Camille! Here is some interesting and not so interesting trivia about Dana and Kent!

♥ What are your middle names?
Marie and Kent...Kent's first name is actually something else.

♥How long have you been together?
since April 2006, about 3 1/2 years

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We didn't really know each other before we started dating. I thought he was cute, he asked me out, and we've been together ever since.

♥ Who asked who out?
Kent asked me out, but I may have given strong hints to friends of his that I wanted him to have my number...

♥ Who made the first move?
Kent

♥ How old are each of you?
We're both 28; we're literally a day apart in age.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
No.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
No.

♥ Who is the smartest?
Tricky...I always considered myself more grades and booksmart; but now that Kent has gone back to school, he's gaining on me. Now he's making all A's and reading new books while I continue to watch America's Next Top Model. Hmmmm

♥ Who majored in what?
Dana--English
Kent--Telecommunications and Film

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Definitely me, but Kent has his moments. However, I'm the one who cries at the drop of a hat.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Lately it's been Sabor Latino, mexican at its finest and cheapest. Back in our Tuscaloosa days it would have been a three-way tie between Moe's, Mugshots, and The Waysider. Yum

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Vail, Colorado for a ski trip a few years back.

♥ Who has the worst temper?
I can flare up, but I'm going to say Kent.

♥ How many children do you want?
2 or 3.

♥ Who does the cooking?
I do most of the cooking unless we're grilling or it's spaghetti night. Kent makes a mean pasta sauce and is the master of the grill.

♥ Who is more social?
Kent. Kent. Kent.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
Kent...although neither of us are really clean freaks, I've noticed that he pays more attention to things like that than I do.

♥ Who is the most stubborn?
Me

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Kent...he can't sleep in. It's sad.

♥ Where was your first date?
Richard Coogan's house for a cookout.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
I used to think it was mine, but the longer we're together, the more family members I meet. So now, I think it's a draw.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
On special occasions

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
We spend one holiday with my family and one holiday with his. Then, we rotate the next year, and so on. We're currently on the same rotation as my brother, my cousin, and the Alabama/Auburn game, so the system works.

♥ Who is more jealous?
Me! But really, there's never a reason.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
I would say about 3 months...the most serious was when I moved to Tuscaloosa, but I think we always knew that we were in this for good.

♥ Who eats more?
Depends on the food...

♥ What do you do for a living?
I'm a writer for a healthcare company; Kent works at a high school as their PR guy and is currently pursuing his education degree to teach high school English :)

♥ Who does the laundry?
Me

♥ Who’s better with the computer?

Kent

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Usually Kent...he claims I'm not a good driver. I'm a great driver, except when he's in the car. He's distracting :)

♥ What is "your" song?
I don't think we've ever officially decided this, but all signs are pointing to "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison. I don't know if this is a weird choice or not, but we both love it, it comes on at random times when we're together, and it was our last dance song at our wedding.

That was fun! I'm tagging Ashley, Lynn, Marj, and Ellen.