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Welcome, Coach Grant

Pretty cool video of the Tide faithful welcoming new Bama basketball coach Anthony Grant to Tuscaloosa.  Welcome, Coach Grant!

• Video of Anthony Grant landing in Tuscaloosa as the new Alabama basketball coach

 

Spring in Destin

We got away to Destin for a couple of days over spring break, and it was beautiful and so relaxing. We’re both agreed that as far as the sand and water itself, Destin’s beaches top those of either Kauai or Cabo.

 

Invading Dismals Canyon

The guys took our annual camping trip on the road this year to Dismals Canyon in northern Alabama. Good times were had by all, other than the extreme workout we all got by hauling gear to the top of a bluff to our campsite.

More Photos…

 

Snowy T-Town

Biggest snowfall in Tuscaloosa in over 10 years: March 1, 2009.

 

Reality check

A reality check, courtesy of Louisiana governor Bobby Jindall:

“Democratic leaders say their legislation will grow the economy. What it will do is grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt. Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need? That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did. It’s irresponsible. And it’s no way to strengthen our economy, create jobs, or build a prosperous future for our children.”   (source)

It’s a spending bill, people.  And it’s very likely to do more harm than good.

 

13.1 Fun-Filled Miles, Part Deux

Oops, we did it again.  For the second straight year, we completed the Mercedes Half Marathon yesterday, and this time were joined by Jennifer, who led the charge in her first race since having Jackson only six months ago.  Given my lack of training due to being sick most of January, it was pretty grueling this time around.  But we finished, we improved over last year’s time by several minutes at 2:09:44, and we reached our goal of running a sub-10 minute pace for the entire race.

The event is a lot of fun, and there’s no substitute for the  rush of crossing the finish line of an event like this… but I’m wiped.  And I’ll be eating absolutely anything I want and taking a mini-break from running for a little while.  A special thanks to my wonderful wife, who put up with my whining after the race and took such great care of me in the aftermath!

More Photos…

 

Timeless Tunes

So a couple of weeks ago, Cathy and I spontaneously decided at the last minute to go see The Eagles play in Birmingham – yes, those Eagles.  They’re still touring after all these years, and they’re a band we’ve always wanted to see.   And we were not disappointed…  Say what you will about their age or how long ago their biggest hits were released, they were GREAT.  We were impressed with how talented they are and how smooth their performance came off…  likely a result of playing thousands and thousands of shows over the decades.  And hearing their classics LIVE was just priceless…  Take It Easy, Hotel California, Desperado, Lyin’ Eyes, Life in the Fast Lane…  the list goes on and on.

Don Henley singing

Glenn Frey and Henley acknowledge the sold-out crowd after the encore

I grew up listening to my dad’s classic rock a lot, so it was a treat to see such legends as The Eagles live.  And I’m really big into live music, and seeing them got me thinking about some of the best shows I’ve seen over the years.  A few came to mind…

HOUSEHOLD NAMES

• The Eagles (classic show)
• Aerosmith (great performers – hearing Tyler scream live is priceless)
• John Mayer (back in the pop days – would like to hear again now that he’s bluesy)
• James Taylor (Sweet Baby James was smooth as butter)
• Lynyrd Skynyrd (not the same now of course, but still fun)
• Hootie & The Blowfish (not a huge fan of theirs day-to-day, but this was a fun show)
• Nickelback (saw them early in their career after their first album – not great)
• Garth Brooks (the consummate showman)
• Lyle Lovett (absolutely awesome – Lyle is the man)
• Willie Nelson (nothin’ but fun)

OTHER NOTABLES

• Matt Nathanson (one of my favorites, and he didn’t disappoint in NYC or Bham)
• Will Hoge (one of the best SHOWS I’ve ever seen, if not THE best)
• Robert Earl Keen (fun, fun, fun)
• Train
• Matt Wertz
• Dave Barnes
• Ingrid Michaelson
• Matthew Mayfield (stripped-down acoustic in a T’town dive – raw and solid)
• Josh Groban (powerful voice)
• Edwin McCain
• Collective Soul
• Everclear (awful, awful, awful, awful, awful – worst live show I’ve ever seen)
• Caedmon’s Call
• Third Day
• Jars of Clay

So what are your favorite shows?

 

A big orange-tinted glass house

So in a shocking development, it seems our friendly neighborhood advice-doling, high-ground-claiming, super-duper-knowledgable-recruiting-guy is living in a big ol’ gigantic glass house:

• Tennessee self-reports recruiting violations

I’ve felt all along that this guy doesn’t even approach the minimum criteria to run an SEC program, much less an upper-tier one.  The past week’s events certainly seem to support that feeling.

The whole episode brings to mind the old saying “Success (or talent) can take you where character cannot sustain you.”  But according to Gregg Doyel from CBS Sports (and an ever-expanding list of others), this fellow has “no status, no standing, no résumé” to make any statements about anything.  So maybe the more appropriate cliche at this point is “loose lips sink ships?”  Or is there a better summation?

This column is classic:

• Kiffin’s Tennessee train is already derailing

 

Chirp, chirp, chirp…

If you:

• Are 33 years old…
• Have never been a college head coach before…
• Own a career record of 5 – 15 (on any level)…
• Were fired four games into your second season as a head coach after losing control of your team and your staff…
• Now coach in the nation’s undisputed top conference…
• Have only tasted any success WHATSOEVER as an assistant at USC under Pete Carroll, where a broken-down lawnmower could coach receivers…
• Have placed all of your respective eggs in the recruiting basket, but…
• Have only proven your mettle as a recruiter by “convincing” players to come to USC, where any random kitchen appliance could persuade a 17-year-old student-athlete to attend…
• Coach a team that has been OWNED by its two top rivals the past four years (Florida 4-0, Alabama 3-1)…
• Have a top rival who has won two BCS Championships in the past three years…
• Have another top rival who just went 12-2 in a rebuilding year, has a two-time national coach of the year, and has signed the nation’s #1-ranked recruiting class two years in a row…

… then you should probably talk less, check the ego at the door, and refrain from scolding or offering unsolicited advice to the conference’s top two national championship-winning coaches.  Because they have actually proven something… and you have a LOT of work to do.

But just keep talking, guy.

• Kiffin accuses Meyer of recruiting violation
• Kiffin tells Saban what he should do
• Kiffin: Taking rivals’ best recruiters is “a great accomplishment.”

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UPDATE: Well, the Vols’ fearless leader not only showcased an unprecedented and unwarranted arrogance with his little skit earlier, but he also violated the SEC Code of Ethics by publicly criticizing another SEC coach, and the SEC commish has reprimanded him for his comments.

And it gets better…  The master recruiter is apparently ignorant of basic NCAA recruiting rules, because, uh, the rule he accused Meyer of violating?  It’s not even a rule.

Nice job, guy.  You’re off to a great start.

• SEC reprimands Tennessee coach Kiffin

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UPDATE #2:  Honestly, part of me was sad to see Fulmer step down at UT, because it was SOOOO easy to get fired up about playing him and so much fun to beat him.  I didn’t know if I could find the same level of fire for this guy.  Upon further review, that’s not gonna be an issue.  I cannot WAIT for October 24th.  Or September 19th, for that matter, when Meyer and Tebow hang 60 on him.

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UPDATE #3:  In what goes down as one of the all-time classic answers to a ridiculous series of events, Nick Saban sent a clear answer to the foolishness in Knoxville without saying a word.  Less than 24 hours after Laney stuck his entire leg in his mouth and choked on it, and an assistant shot his mouth off about “owning Memphis” and never losing another recruit to Saban again, well, he uh… DID.   I guess maybe while they were talking, Nick was working.

• Top Memphis receiver commits to Alabama for 2010