A Promotional Top 5

I feel like every time I post something it begins with "It's been too long..." Maybe that's true, but if you take the same amount of time between posts, then you're right on schedule - just a crappy schedule. So, "It's been a long time since my last post" may be the new opener.

Dana had some good news at work this week. Big promotion for her! Guess what her idiot husband said. "Hey hon, let's go out and have a nice dinner and then I'll take you to a movie." Sounds nice on the surface. Unfortunately, the movie portion was limited by selection since we have an unspoken Avatar boycott happening (the whole 'if enough people tell you you HAVE to do something, then you WON'T do it' thing...by the way, you HAVE to watch The Wire). Back to the story, I had read Shutter Island in the fall and thought it would make a great movie, although the book was only fair. Scorcese, DiCaprio making a thriller seemed like a can't miss. Of course, if you know Dana, this next part will not surprise you. The last thriller that she watched with me was The Silence of the Lambs...when we were dating...when we were both trying to impress the other one with how "cool" we were...she hates thrillers because they freak her out - too scary for her.

Why did I lose sight of this? I am not smart.

In short, Dana's celebration night now gives her nightmares - nice work, Kent. Dana leaned over to me as the end credits began to roll and said, "Ohhh, you are going to pay for this one."

The movie is good, by the way. It gets a bit graphic and unpleasant with regard to Leo's inner-demons, but I thought it was better than the book.

This situation got me thinking about a top 5 "little things that make Dana, Dana."

1. The first walk of the day On the weekends, I'm cursed by not being able to sleep past 8. So I always get up and go out and read or watch TV. About an hour or so later comes a sound that means Dana is awake. Imagine the sound of a guy at a hardware store dragging a bag of feed across the floor, but stopping and then restarting every few inches. This is the sound of Dana dragging her slippered feet down the hallway to the den. In looking at that, it sounds like I don't like it. I do. It cracks me up every time. After about ten paces, she comes around the hall corner into view with her eyes half open and says incredulously, "When did you get UP?"

2. The fear of getting caught We love movie candy. We sneak it into every movie we ever go to and over the years have saved somewhere between 10 and 15,000 dollars by doing that. Once, I got a little greedy and asked Dana to sneak a fountain drink for me in her purse(the top was firmly affixed to prevent any spillage). She reluctantly agreed. As we approached the gate where they tear your ticket, we both saw that in addition to the usual acne-ridden 16-year-old ticket taker, was a manager in jacket and tie looking on and evaluating the kid. The phrase "seized by fear" would be the best way to describe Dana's reaction to this. Her pace slowed, her face changed, her grip on my hand tightened, and she whispered to me in frightened sentences about how "they KNOW, they KNOW!" We walked right in, and I enjoyed an ice-cold Coca Cola classic to complement my Twizzlers. I'm pretty sure we went to see a drama that day, but I had several hearty laughs in the theater.

3. The thermometer readings The thermometer in our house is not accurate. We need a new one. I've never seen a reading of 98.6 on it. It goes anywhere from 97.1 to 104.3, but it never seems to reflect anything that would be helpful or informative. I think Dana checks her temperature twice a week. She'll get a headache or stomach ache and check it. When the little thing beeps that it has a reading she takes it out, looks at it, and then silently puts it down. I'll ask what it said and she'll respond with some number that either means she passed away 30 minutes ago, or needs to immediately be thrown into a tub of ice water. But if I irritate her about it, she'll say "Stop, I have a feeee-ver!" It slays me.

By the way, as I read these, I feel like if Dana did one of these about me it would just be "Kent tries to irritate me" 5 different ways.

4. Her never-ending love for Kissyfur Whenever we see an animal of any kind, it is accompanied by Dana saying either "I love Kissyfur," or "I miss Kissyfur." She's asked me before if I think that when we die, do I think Kissyfur will be in Heaven.

Nothing will ever top Kissyfur. Pistol could come into the house and recite the preamble in a little dog voice, and Dana would turn to me after and say, "I miss Kissyfur." It is like clockwork: animal, a few beats while she reflects, "I miss Kissyfur."

5. The parking spot point-out Whenever we go somewhere that has a parking lot of more than 20 spots, it reveals Dana's and my divergent philosophies about parking. Luck usually determines whose philosophy is correct. Dana likes to find the closest spot and will patiently wait for it until it appears. I feel like the waiting negates the closeness. That if you just park in an average or even "bad" spot, it would take the same amount of time to walk in as it would to wait and then park. But it has become a joke now that when I do park, Dana waits until I'm halfway into the turn-in to point out another spot that would have been better. And of course, as we walk in, she takes great joy in pointing to the many spots that would have been closer/better/not as long a walk in this freezing temperature. It usually leads to a "sliding doors" speculation about how much better our trip to Target would have been if I'd listened to her, but instead, we are doomed to our spot in parking hell because of my impatience to wait for "that spot...that spot...that spot."

All of these are things that make her my wife. And I love them. Congratulations on the promotion! I am so proud of you!

Heart of a Champion

Today, like every other day this week, I woke up as a fan of a National Championship Team. Not the one from 17 years ago or the many times before that - the current National Championship Team. As the game and the season begins to fade into the rear view mirror (we're 1 of 52 weeks in), I realize that this is the best part. There are no more games to win, no more blowhards to silence, or pregame rituals to follow (at least until the fall). This is the best part because my team, our team is the best and proved it one week ago.

I'm not going to get into all the BS arguments over Colt McCoy's injury affected the outcome of the game (I'll always believe the outcome would remain the same), because - as discussed here before - sports plays, games, and seasons are very fragile. Look no further than our survival of the Tennessee game. One bounce, or gust of wind, or malfunctioning headset, or even a piece of dust in a referee's eye can turn a game, and by extension, a season into crap. I think of Jerry Seinfeld's bit about Olympic sprinters where he sticks his neck forward and says "greatest guy in the world," then pulls his neck back and follows, "never heard of him." The point is Texas called a run play and their QB was knocked out of the game. It's football and that stuff happens. For our UK basketball fan readers, I haven't ever heard them belly-ache over Keith Bogans' sprained ankle that cost them back in the 2003 NCAA tournament. It's sports, it's fragile. These opportunities come around very few times. And so in the words of Eminem, you have to "seize the moment, try to freeze it and hold it." Alabama did. Several times. Like when we hired our coach to make these moments more frequent. Or when our QB made the SEC championship game into his masterpiece of management and timely throws. Or when Mount Cody decided he wouldn't let the season end just because the team was worn out. Or when Marcel Dareus plucked a ball from the air and then ran down the halls of Alabama

immortality. This team is special. This is the greatest season we've ever had and it was led by a special group of guys. McClain, Ingram, Arenas, Cody, Peek, McElroy, and of course Saban. I'm guessing several forms of these names will start passing through preschools in Alabama within 4 years.

We're a state that gets dismissed and made fun of a lot. We have our problems for sure. I could write a whole different blog about that. But we have always taken football seriously (and not to our detriment). That's why when a special group of players and coaches give us a team that we can be proud of, it sets this place on fire. And not the way Knoxville lit up thanks to the mattresses on Tuesday night. (Sorry, couldn't help myself).

Roll Tide! We'll talk about next year next year (but it's looking good so far). For the next 51 weeks, we are going to enjoy being on top. Because you never know when that gust of wind will come along and blow away your chance for this feeling again.

P.S.

I don't know why UT fans were so upset about Kiffin leaving. This is a clean slate from a bad hire to begin with...and without having to pay his buyout. What is USC thinking?

Finally, Internet Access

"Remember the Rose Bowl, you'll win then. Roll on to victory, hit your stride. You're Dixie's football pride, Crimson Tide"

-"Yea Alabama"

Some things have happened since last you really heard from us. The last two blog entries really can't be counted, now can they?

We'll go social first, and then get to the game commentary.

Awhile ago, so long it's not really news anymore, Dana and I sold the trusty red Jeep. It was an emotional sale for both of us because of the treasured memories we had with it. Whether it was road tripping together (there was no way we were taking the old 626 any place that was past 5 miles from the house) to weddings in the historic summer of 2007 - 38 weddings in 12 weekends - or the fun times Dana had in it BK (before Kent) on the familiar pathways of Samford U. Tears were shed on the selling day, not by me this time. We shall miss the Jeep and it's mostly trustworthy service. Good night, sweet prince.

(Dana's feelings on letting the Jeep go summed up perfectly)

One semester at Homewood High in the books and the job couldn't be going better. I love the kids, they seem to love me back (they compare me to Mr. Shuster on Glee, which once you get past the fact that he's a nancy-boy choir director is sort of a compliment), and it is a great school. UAB on the other hand...

The dogs are living with us now. Dana has begun to love them. They make her laugh a lot and she enjoys taking Pistol for the occasional walk. Before you ask why Grits doesn't go too, just know that I had to carry her home from the last extended walk because she quit. She's content to lie at the house all day suffering the occasional pains of listening to Pistol get excited about the latest passing UPS truck. Here;s a pic of the dogs in the car on their way to B'ham.

I signed up to help my friend Mike coach a youth league basketball team over in Mountain Brook (the under-privileged side of town). Not surprisingly, we named the team the Commodores (YEEEEEEP! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!). Surprisingly, when Mike was out of town, I took the reigns and the team to a 2-0 start. They are 3-1 at the break, and we have yet to unleash our killer Diamond and 1 press. The best story of the season so far is that we have the kids enjoying "calling the Commodores" and they want to break each huddle with a big "Yeep YEEEEP!" Down the stretch of one of the games, our de facto cheerleader - his name is Brother - began yeeping on the bench to rally the team and his mother leaned over his shoulder and asked him what he was doing. He looked back at her in matter-of-fact fashion and said "We're calling the Commodores...y'know yeep, yeep!" We're making a difference! It's all for the kids.

Dana's and my family rotation has us in Alabama for Christmas this year. Dana gets her first look at the Pearson Dirty Santa game which will most likely have at least a few adults acting like children and getting snippy over a gift card to Target. Good times ahead. It really is fun.

Quick Best of TV 2009 list for us:

Best Drama - Mad Men edges Friday Night Lights

Best Comedy - Modern Family with a bullet!

Best Reality - whatever Dana says it is...I say Wipeout

Best Trash - Jersey Shore has set new lows in every way.

And now onto the main event:

Alabama is playing for a national championship in Year 3 for Saban. This was a common prediction among fans when he took over in 2007, but the reality of it has been a crazy experience to say the least. To have been on the doorstep last year was unbelievable, and yet crushing when we lost in the SEC championship game. There was a feeling of "When you get this far, you have to cash in on it because it is so rare a thing." The press was talking about how a re-match was inevitable since the end of last year's game. That is a bit of revisionist history because more than half of those same writers and reporters on ESPN were picking Ole Miss and LSU ahead of us in the West pre-season. The media's B.S. is to be expected.

(Quick aside: these are the same guys who talked about how outrageous Saban's 4 million a year was, how he was a job-jumping, soul-less cretin who would burn out at Alabama and leave its unrealistic fans in the lurch...only to later refer to Saban's contract as a "bargain," to refer to other programs' need to make a "Saban-type hire," when looking for a new coach. There is not a greater paradox for me than 98% of sportswriters and reporters- I can't live without them, but I can't stand them.)

Where was I? So the re-match happened. In retrospect, we should have known that the gameplan for Florida was going to be air-tight. Saban's oft-maligned ego is the same thing that drove this maniacal preparation for the SEC championship game. No one knows Saban's mind, but I'm willing to bet that he bristled at hearing about how Urban Meyer was the undisputed genius of college football for the last year. He took this game very personally. He would tell anyone who wanted to listen that it was for the players, that they did the work to get back to this point and then delivered this time. All of that is true. The players had to play well to win the game. By all accounts they came into the walkthrough very focused and were foaming at the mouth when the game kicked off. Florida, on the other hand came in very loose (not a bad thing by the way), Tebow was running pass-routes, there was laughing and joking. There was a sense that the game would go the way it did last year. It did NOT. Alabama landed the first licks, then withstood the inevitable Florida comeback (lost in the final score was the heart that Florida showed, they BARELY had the ball and still passed for more yards than Alabama, it never looked like they gave up despite their offense being stranded on the sideline) in the second quarter, and then made the "hustle-plays" the rest of the way - think McEloy skipping down the sideline, Julio blocking downfield on runs, Ingram refusing to be tackled.

But the real story was the gameplan. The first play after Alabama got the ball back with the score 12-10, was a screen pass right over a blitz: the perfect call that went for 70 yards. The defense made an effort to keep Tebow in front of them, never rushing past him and letting him get out of the pocket and run. The stat that was thrown around a lot is that Saban was 13-1 in rematches after a loss (the "1" was Florida under Spurrier). He is a machine, powered by competitiveness. The bottom line is that the players played well, but it was the coaching that was the difference. Alabama is not more talented than Florida (or Texas for that matter). Below is a highlight video, and you'll notice that when Saban is giving his locker room talk that he really screams at them to "EXECUTE THE PLAN" around the :25 mark. He knew the plan would win. And it did. Being there was fantastic.

As a fan I rate that game as the most important one I've ever been to for Alabama. And off the top of my head, it was probably the most enjoyable too. Ooh, quick top 5's:

Top 5 most enjoyable games I've been to:

1. Bama - Florida 2009 32-13

2. Bama - AU 2001 31-7

3. Bama - UT 2002 34-14

4. Bama - Florida 2005 31-3

5. Bama - UT 2007 41-17

Common theme - The game was decided early and we could celebrate for most or all of the 4th quarter as our team rode victorious into the sunset.

Top 5 least enjoyable I've been to:

1. Bama-AU 2000 9-0

2. Bama-UT 2003 (I've forgotten the score, but we went to 5 OT and blew a 4th and 19 in regulation on defense, and a 1st and 2 on offense)

3. Bama-LSU 2001 35-14 (it wasn't that close)

4. Bama-AU 2002 17-7

5. Bama-UT 2006 (again, I don't remember the score, but we blew a winnable game by folding in the 4th, goodbye Shula).

Common theme: there was a sense of impending doom, or we were embarrasingly dominated throughout. Also, each of these games had a lot riding on them and it felt I cared more than the players did.

Now onto the game in Pasadena (quick disclaimer: all predictions are based on Alabama at full roster with no suspensions).

The things that scare me about the game:

1. It cannot be ignored that Alabama made its entire season about getting back to Florida and then beating them in the 4th quarter. Now that we've done it, there HAS to be some sense of let down, exhale, whatever. It is human nature. If it is possible for a team to be a risk to come out flat in the national championship, we run that risk.

2. Since that Florida game, the team has heard through the media, students, fans, and award shows that they are the best. Ingram won the Heisman. McClain won the Butkus. We had 6 All-Americans. McElroy won the MVP of the SEC championship game and has heard all about how he outplayed Tebow. This is dangerous in terms of the psychology of sports. There are only so many times you can be told you are awesome before you start to believe it and forget what made you awesome in the first place - in our team's case it is hard work, then talent in that order.

3. Texas has talent, and 2 former Saban assistant coaches on staff. I'm not that worried about the coaches, but you never know. The talent part is important. LSU could have beaten us this year if their coach wasn't a buffoon. Why? Because they had more talent than us. Texas has been in the top recruiting classes every year for a long time. Their secondary is really good. Their QB is devastating at times. Their coach doesn't scare me until I look at his record in big bowl games.

4. Matchups I don't like for us:

McElroy/Julio - their DBs

McElwain - Muschamp

Things that make me feel better:

1. There is not a coach alive that is better equipped to handle #1 and #2 on the previous list. If you ever get to feeling cocky, you should close your eyes and picture Saban yelling all the things that you are not good at at you. He once made an NFL player cry.

2. Texas is not battle-tested the way Alabama is. They've played against one top-tier defense in Nebraska. We've played against 4 not counting AU (who played incredibly on D against us) or VaTech who faded, but was really good in the opener. They didn't look very clutch - aside from their kicker - down the stretch against a tough Nebraska team. We're tougher and scarier than ay team they've seen.

3. Their offensive line is a weak point for them. We feast on teams like that. Ask UGA of 2008 who had two top 10 draft picks on offense, but never had the time to let them make plays.

4. Matchups I like:

Saban-Brown

McClain-McCoy

Ingram/Richardson - UT front 7

Gun to my head prediction - Alabama wins 23-13. Look for Texas to get big plays out of special teams, and Alabama to hold onto the ball for long stretches of time like they did against Florida.

By the way, I'm as excited about football in Alabama as I've ever been and that is saying quite a lot. This is an incredible ride, and win or lose, it has been a season I'll always remember. No one will ever convince me that these are just games and they don't matter. Dana and I sat in the stands when Cody blocked the field goal against UT. It brought tears to my eyes, and my dad collapsed into his chair with relief. We felt sick for the entire Auburn game... physically sick. We cheered euphorically when Arenas intercepted the ball and sealed the win against Florida. I got to watch my dad take in an SEC championship win. We went back to the parking deck and popped open a bottle of champagne and re-hashed the game. These are memories. I'm choked up just thinking about it. Roll Tide!

Roll Tide Roll

I'll have to post about this whenever I get real time with the internet and no filters keeping me from our beloved and neglected blog.

That game was - in a word - satisfying.

Roll Tide!

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.

...with a bullet!

Thought I'd update everyone (4 people) on my thoughts with a series of bullet points.

• A lot of Bama fans are gaining a lot of confidence that it is "our year" this time and that we're a better team than Florida. So far, it looks like they are right, but there are two things that are going against us right now: 1) I hear that this team has a tendency to "lose its focus" sometimes which could result in an upset loss, and 2) it looks like we just lost a who plays our most crucial defensive position for the year in LB Dont'a Hightower. On the other hand, Florida ain't exactly looking invincible and the teams that were supposed to give us trouble aren't looking that good either. Bottom line: we still don't know, but it's nice to be considered a contender for the national championship and not be frightened by that expectation.
• Some may say in my previous post I was a little harsh with my take on the AU football team. Not so. They will open 4-0, yes. But their toughest game was against either Mississippi St who will be known as "mid-90s Vandy" by me for the next 2 years, or West Virginia who has been paying for the worst and laziest coaching hire in college football since...Gene Chizik. I won't back down from my estimation that Auburn will have a terrible year. Although...
• LSU, Ole Miss, and Arkansas are worse than expected. LSU, not surprisingly is doing "Les" with more, Ole Miss is right on the H.D. Nutt schedule for crushing preseason expectation (in a negative way), and Arkansas received more hype for losing a game - against UGA - than Notre Dame did for losing to USC a few years back. If Alabama loses to any of those teams it will be a stunning disappointment (especially considering we've already beaten one of them).
• I hope that UK does not injure our QB the way they did Tebow. It was a clean play, but if someone hit the wispy-by-comparison McElroy that way, he may cease breathing.
• We're ranked 3rd nationally and our fans feel like the team is underrated. The feeling of mediocrity from a few years back is not so far away that I don't appreciate where we are as a program. And yet, I agree that we have looked the best of any team in the country so far. The lesson as always: rankings are meaningless until your team gets screwed by them at the end of the year (insert your own dig at 2004 Auburn here).

Enough bullets, we'll switch gears from college football to things that should be mentioned.

You should watch the show Glee. The cheerleading coach carries the show.

When Kanye grabbed the microphone, Dana went all mother hen and got so mad that I had to excuse her from the room to calm down. She later cried when Beyonce called Taylor back on the stage to give her speech.

Jon Hamm (Don Draper) hangs out with Bill Simmons on Sundays and watches pro football at Jimmy Kimmel's house...I continually wonder what it would be like to get to sit in with them one Sunday.

I watched all of the Monday Night Football game and they were referring to Peyton Manning as "The Sherriff." Never has a nickname seemed so forced since a guy from my high school who played quarterback began telling people to call him "Heisman."

...But I think the most under used sports nickname is "The Professor." You could call any player who succeeds on his smarts rather than athletic ability this. Example: Greg McElroy. Or you could sarcastically call a stupid player "The Professor." Example: Shaq. I'm sure there are better examples, so you should leave them in the comments.

Dana's birthday is this week...she turns twenty-AACCHHKKKKKKKKAAKAKKKK....sorry Dana choked me with one of my sweat socks.

We'll see some of you soon.

The Jacksons are Back!

After a LONG layoff, The Jackson's are back. What has been going on with us? Well, we closed on a house (along with all the horror stories of real estate dealings that you have heard from others, so I will bore you with other details). It's a great home already, and that's before we have done any real decorating.

This is a pic of the fridge that almost broke the deal for us. The seller didn't want to part with it. We've found out why - there's an ice and water dispenser!

I secured a low-paying job in the field of education (redundant I know), while enrolling in a night class at UAB (Blaze, Blazers!). My job is at Homewood High School as a "media specialist" which is to say I promote the school in the news outlets.

Dana now has less time in the car, and more room in the house. I don't know how we lived together before the double sink, the regular sized washer-dryer, or the two-car garage.

This is our first month here, and I must say we are really happy to live in Birmingham. There are a few things that you need to take care of to make it your "home town," and I feel like we knocked out two of them this week. First, I went and got a haircut at "Treadwell's Barber Shop," in Mtn Brook. The whole time I was thinking that it would make for a great blog entry to compare and contrast that barber shop with my home base, "The Northport Barber Shop." So that is still to come. The second that happened this week is that we took the recommendation of John and Delaune and went out for Mexican on Friday night (a given back in Tuscaloosa), and I think we've found our place: "Sabor Latino!"

Speaking of John and Delaune, they came over and John (with limited help from me) designed and built a doghouse for Pistol and Grits. It is "aesthetically pleasing" and even has their names on the front...now I just need to teach them to read.

Note the smug look on my face as though I did any REAL work aside from holding things while John cut or nailed them in. I think you can tell who played what role by "the things they carried."

As we'd hoped, Birmingham has been a good move for us. Dana gets to go to lunch and on walks with friends, I get to play pick up basketball and football with some old college friends, as well as have people over to cookout a lot. As Frank Costanza would say, "This is the PLACE to BE!" We're glad we came.

This week, my sister returned home from Oregon to visit for the week. There has been a great number of people who wanted to see her and hang out with her, including my dad, Lanna, and the Bean (aka "little Lanna" although she's growing up so we can't just call her that anymore). We cooked out steaks and talked about Jen's job at the University of Oregon (hence the hat and shirt) and laughed a lot. Dana made some killer corn and tomatoes. When we got the house, these were the days that we'd hoped to have here, entertaining family and friends.

It's been good to see Jennifer after about a ten month gap. We even performed "Midnight Train to Georgia" just like the old days at Jackie's Lounge. Although there was no emcee to call us up to a stage, "And now, Jennifer and the Pip."

And now for the serious stuff:

Football begins this week. That's right! I could not be more excited!!! Exclamations all around!!!!! Top o the Muffin TO YOU!!!!!!!

We scored two tickets to the Alabama - Va Tech game in the Georgia Dome. Somehow we have put aside our memories of the 4th quarter against Florida when Tim Tebow broke our hearts and are picking up the pieces and trying again to be national champions. So, as the season kicks off, I should make my predictions for the dozens of readers we have (probably actually 7 readers).

1. Alabama may lose in conference, but it won't be to Ole Miss. No offense to the Rebel fans, but I just don't think it will happen. There's too many people telling the Ole Miss players they are awesome, and that has a negative effect in a locker room unless the coach can effectively use that hype to keep them hungry. Houston Nutt has never done well with expectations high, and this year will be no different. I'm choosing to ignore the fact that he has actually given Saban fits throughout his SEC career.

2. I am still undecided on Florida. I have typed and deleted a sentence that said they would either win it all or not make it. On the one hand, they shouldn't lose...ever. We saw last year that when Tebow wills it, it is no dream. on the other hand, this is a team full of 19-21 year-olds dealing with unrealistic expectations (no one in the country thinks they will lose a game...in the SEC...or against Texas or whoever they'll play in the Nat'l championship), that is tough to accomplish. Let's not forget that the last team in this position was USC in 2005. Two Heismans in the backfield and a stout defense. They came up a few plays short, and almost lost to Notre Dame that year. The whole season of expectations wore on them, and they played in the freaking Pac-10. If the Gators do it, I would be fine to not only rank them alongside the greatest teams of all time, but go ahead and crown Tebow the greatest college player ever. His resume would be unbeatable. I just realized this is not really a prediction as much as it is an observation...I hope our readership doesn't dip to 5.

3. Outside the SEC, it just won't matter. I almost feel bad for fans of schools like Michigan, Florida State, Georgia Tech, etc. because not only do they not have a shot at getting to the national championship, they don't get to play anyone else that has a chance either. I mean Tennessee is going to have a bad season, but at least they get to measure themselves against Florida and Alabama. Outside the SEC, people that are making the argument that their conference will line up with or overtake us for football supremacy are sorely mistaken. But it will at least sell tickets to the Missouri-Texas Tech game.

"Now men, this is the number of games we'll win this year"

4. Auburn will have a terrible year. I don't want to devote any more time to this. They stink. They're acting like they don't stink. Their coach still has a 5-19 career record, they still have no athletes, they still have no direction. All they did was give me a prediction that I can hang my hat on. If I'm wrong about everything else, at least I got this one right. Auburn stinks.

5. Alabama will go back to Atlanta this year...for a second time. I don't want to become one of those fans that never believes his team will lose. But outside of the LSU and Ole Miss games, Bama ought to be cruising through the year. Of coursse, Dana and I have accepted an invitation to Lexington which immediately puts that game in doubt. But even if UA goes 1-1 against Ole Miss and LSU, I don't think either one of those teams will be able to beat everyone else needed to go to the championship game. They don't call him "Two-loss Les" for nothing and we've covered H.D. Nutt.

Once again, it will be Alabama and Florida in Atlanta in December. I just hope this time I don't feel so bad after the game.

Glad to be back!