SPORTS

Saban IS The Man ...

By Clint Hamilton
clint@piedmontgazette.com

TUSCALOOSA - Most of what Alabama walk-on defensive end Dawson Witter had heard about new Tide coach Nick Saban were confirmed at the first team meeting.

He cusses a lot? Yep.

"Put it this way, I've heard less cussing in the Katt Williams Pimp Chronicles. He doesn't use a lot of the really bad words like the F-word, but he will throw out the S-word in a hurry. Most of the offensive guys are not used to the intensity Coach Saban brings, but the defensive guys were a little more prepared, because of Coach Kines, and the way he acts on the field. Coach Saban is always in your face, but his breath doesn't stink and he doesn't spit on us much, so most of the guys don't mind."

Well prepared? Yep.

"During that first meeting, he laid out the next 4 years of this program. Even down to our meals over that time. He said he like to eat Debbie cakes, but if he caught us eating anything like that we were off the team. He even went over the uniform changes he was making. The thing most of the guys are excited about is the fact that we will wear white cleats this year. He said that white looks more crisp and athletic. He hates black shoes."

A coach? You bet.

"When Coach Shula was here, he would mostly sit back and watch practice and let the other coaches do the coaching. Sometimes he would walk up to a quarterback and tell them they had to throw the pass on a line and not rainbow them, and one time I saw him trying to teach John Parker how to lick his fingers like a Montana or a Brady, but for the most part, he was just an observer. With Coach Saban, he is running all over the field coaching. He knows a lot about football; that's for sure."

Good with names? Nope.

"He calls me Puddin' Ass. During practice Saturday, he said he could tell I hadn't put a lot of work in during the off-season because my ass jiggled like a bowl of pudding. From then on he has called me Puddin' Ass. He has nicknames for some of the other guys, but you probably couldn't print most of them."

Motivational? Yep

"In our second meeting, we watched the movie 'Southern Comfort'. I don't know if you have ever watched that movie, but its about some national guardsmen that go down to the Louisiana swamps to train for Vietnam. While they are down there training, they tick off some Cajuns and then the angry Cajuns beat the hell out of those National Guardsmen.

“Coach Saban said that at the moment, we were like the National Guardsmen in the movie and the rest of the SEC were those pissed off Cajuns. He said that if we didn't come together as a team and dedicate ourselves to winning, we would get our asses kicked just like those National Guardsmen.

“It really opened our eyes to where we need to be as a team."
 

Game Day Changes
May Jar Some Tide Fans

By Clint Hamilton
clint@piedmontgazette.com

TUSCALOOSA - Be prepared for some changes Crimson Tide fans, and not just with the coach walking the sidelines.

This week, the Alabama Athletic Department will begin mailing season ticket holders and running ads in newspapers across the state, the new game day policy which covers everything from tailgating rules to the attire you can and can't wear inside the stadium.

Gone are the days of fans sitting outside the stadium getting inebriated and coming into the stadium causing trouble. According to University officials, State Troopers will be stationed at random gate entrances and if they, or the gate workers, suspect you of drinking, you will be asked to take a breathalyzer test.

If you blow more than a 0.08%, you will be asked to leave the stadium, and if you are a season ticket holder, your tickets will be revoked and you will not be able to renew them.

"We sat down and looked at most of the problems we have inside the stadium on game days, and 80% of them are alcohol related. We understand that some people are going to drink a little, but we are not going to tolerate drunkenness inside our stadium any longer" said one University official.

Eddie Kines, a Piedmont resident and family member of Joe Kines, has been coming to Alabama football games for 40 years. Over the last 15 years, he has been a strong advocate for these changes. "I remember when Coach Bryant was here; our fans didn't act this way. We came to the games, sure, we might drink one or two cold ones before hand, but we didn't get drunk, and we certainly didn't cause problems in the stadium. We just liked to come in, watch some good football and contribute to the atmosphere. That is Alabama football.

“Our football team played with class and our fans cheered with class. Once he left, it was like he took our class with him - we stopped acting like champions, and I think that has hurt the football team, too.

“I took my grandson to the LSU game a couple of years ago and I was truly embarrassed. It was like I had taken him to a race at Talladega rather than a Crimson Tide football game".

Among the many changes, the one that may cause the most problems is Alabama's new policy pertaining to what you cannot wear into the stadium.

"It's not a 'dress code', per se. We will just not allow a few certain articles of clothing into the stadium. We have had numerous complaints about obscenity in the stadium, and most of the time, it's directly related to what some fans are wearing" said one University official. Some articles of clothing that will no longer be allowed into the stadium:

     • Tank tops or shirts with the sleeves cut out

     • Halter tops and cut-off t-shirts

     • Cut-off blue jean shorts

     • Jerseys worn into the stadium must be Nike

     • Attire with vulgarity or obscene photographs

     • Shoes must be worn at all times

"We are not asking for much. We just want Crimson Tide football games to be family oriented, and at this time, we don't think that is the case" said one University official.

While these changes may come as a shock to some Crimson Tide fans, Kines says they are a long time coming.

"This has been a long battle, but if I can finally take my grandson to a game and he can see what Alabama football is really about, it was all worth it."

Clint Hamilton covers the University of Alabama for the Piedmont Gazette

Staff Photo by Turd Ferguson

Here’s an example of the type of behaviors the new game day rules are intended to eliminate

A Magical Moment - Meet Albatross

By Gilbert Lowell
gibby@piedmontgazette.com

"At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble; there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity."
 
I doubt Everett Strupper could foresee what that one passage would create the day he put it in his article for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
 
In the ultra-competitive SEC, coaches and school officials are looking for that extra something that might bring in a few more dollars or that prize recruit.

The University of Alabama, obviously, doesn’t need much more to impress recruits and donors. They have the Bryant Museum, 12 National Championships, 21 SEC Championships, a 94,000 seat stadium, Nick Saban, and this fall, Albatross.
 
Albatross, a 9,000 pound African elephant, will make her debut Sept. 1, 2007 in Tuscaloosa. Quoting one university official who asked to remain anonymous: "Most universities have that 'magical moment' prior to the start of the game. Auburn has the eagle flight. Florida State has the Seminole that rides out on his horse before games. USC has the horse riding Trojan.

“As a program, we were looking for that 'magical moment', and with Albatross, I think we have found it. Also, Bo Bice is working on a song titled 'This is Alabama Football' and our production staff is working on a video that will play as the team and Albatross makes their entrance.

“I think our fans will love what we have in store for them this season."
 
A magical moment indeed - the closest any program could come, as far as size, would be Colorado when "Ralphie", a 2,000 pound buffalo, makes his entrance, but even he is dwarfed when compared to Albatross.
 
Roger Brakett, the man responsible for watching over Albatross, says that fans are in for a gigantic treat on September 1.

"The university doesn’t have the means to take care of a full grown elephant, but luckily, the Birmingham Zoo was gracious enough to let her live in their elephant grounds.” Brakett said “ We have had this idea for a couple of years now, but, as I’m sure you can imagine, getting an elephant use to 90 something thousand people is next to impossible.

“She was a circus elephant with Barnum and Bailey for 8 years, so she is use to crowds, its just been a chore trying to get her use to such an enormous crowd."
 
Brakett is sure Albatross will be ready come September 1. "Alba will be ready, the question is, will Western Carolina and the fans be ready for her?"
 
In sports writing, you are never sure what your next article will revolve around, but come Sunday, September 2, I am sure my article will start with: "At the start of the game, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, Albatross is coming', and out stamped the mighty elephant, and the Crimson Tide soon followed, and it was a magical moment."
 
Gilbert Lowell covers the University of Alabama for The Piedmont Gazette.