This was, by far, the most amazing sight I have ever seen. 92K+ for a spring game? I had to run with my daughter and my better half over to the east upper deck when they finally opened it. Absolutely outstanding job by the Tide fans to fill up Bryant Denny on Saturday.
Finebaum's article from Saturday could be just about correct. I started thinking about it Saturday, and the last two times we had a decent coach come in to start off a dynasty, they didn't fare so well in the first year - hence why Paul says Bama will go 7-5 this year. There's a transition period. We don't have the players that Coach Saban needs to be successful, but we will, and maybe as early as next year.
Will Heath makes the comparison of Nick Saban and Tommy Tuberville. Saban coached at LSU and Alabama...that's a little bit different than Ole Miss and Auburn. haha.
Spring practice is officially over, and the love affair between Alabama and Coach Saban continues. The players are REALLY getting to love and appreciate their new coach. DJ Hall was quoted as saying "We love him to death." "That's what you need as a player, somebody who knows what they're doing and has been there before and has turned the program around. His past record, that's what he's done."
There's a ton of stuff about the A-Day game all over everywhere. The overflow crowd of 92,138 (of course, there were about 10K-15K more that filtered in and out of the stadium as people left) was an unbelievable sight, and there's a story about it everywhere. We picked out this, Scarbinsky's, the Montgomery Advertiser's, John Pruett's, The Decatur Daily's, and Tom Murphy's. The common point between all of them is this: Saban brings the possibility and the promise of winning. Bama fans have been hungry for this for over a decade now, and even though the first year may be mediocre, the season after this could be amazing.
The A-Day notebooks (The Decatur Daily and The Birmingham News) told a lot about what went on Saturday, like Juwan Simpson being the first Decatur native to have his hands on the Walk-of-Fame since Wes Thompson in 1956, Eric Gray sitting out A-Day with a hamstring injury, how the position changes are working out, the irony of Jimmy Johns winning the "I Like to Practice" award, the lack of red zone woes, the new freshmen on the field (Jamar Taylor and Kareem Jackson), Leigh Tiffin not missing any kicks, and John Michael Boswell, a 6-foot-6, 290lbs offensive lineman from Tuscaloosa County, committing to Alabama over Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Ole Miss.
The biggest laugh from the media room came when Coach Saban answered a question about Jimmy Johns winning the Jerry Duncan "I Like to Practice" award. "He practices good all the time," Saban said. "He didn't practice because he didn't go to class. I knew you all would have a hard time figuring that one out. They're not related. If the guy practices good and he doesn't go to class and I don't let him practice, what does that have to do with practicing? I knew that would get you." I absolutely love this guy.
Also, another thing I wanted to point out - Coach Saban wore a suit. I'm hoping this is a long term thing because I like the fact that Alabama coaches, for the most part, used to wear suits on gamedays. It makes them look more important and commands a little more respect than just wearing a golf shirt with the school logo on it. I'm sure that, in talking with Coach Stallings, Coach Saban may have decided to do that. I'm kinda shocked that nobody brought the subject up in the post-game press conference.
And, regarding MONSTERS OF BLOG I on Saturday, we cooked out and hung out with Eight in the Box and Todd & Nico from Roll Bama Roll before the game Saturday. Burgers, Brats, and beer are the perfect way to go about a Saturday as beautiful as this past one. I was amazed when I heard the numbers, and we had to wonder what the guys from the triathlon teams from other schools had to be thinking about the crowd for a spring football game. haha.
More things I realized at A-Day:
Todd, with a cowboy hat and sunglasses, does actually resemble Bocephus
there are other people just as obsessed with Bama football as me
my 20 month old daughter isn't quite ready to sit through an entire football game (we made it through 2 quarters)
coldstone ice cream is freakin AWESOME
Nico and I look eerily similar on gamedays (we both wear Alabama "A" caps and jerseys)
Eight in the Box is way more normal than I thought he would be (haha)
Strollers can give you a sense of balance when you're drunker than you thought
The autograph session in the fall will be ridiculous as well
having half-naked sweaty dudes from all over the country on the quad on a gameday is ALWAYS a bad idea
and finally...
Alabama fans really are nuts, and I'm proud to be one of 'em.
Comments:
The atmosphere was absolutely crazy... Last year I drove over to my buddy's place across from Tutwiler (the big dorm right next to the stadium) and we walked in 15 minutes before it started and sat 15 rows up on the 50 yard line. This year I got there about 30 minutes early, walked from my dorm right by the river (all the way across campus), and sat in the upper deck. It was just like a gameday. # posted by Steven S. : 6:11 PM
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