Asante Samuel.

An All-Pro Cornerback for the New England Patriots last season. (Yes, he's on the Eagles this year, I know.)

Remember him in the Super Bowl?

He dropped an interception that would have sealed the championship for the Patriots.

I'm sure he's been burned for touchdowns at some point in his career.

Yet, he's still a lockdown corner.

Economics aside, would you take him on your team if you could have him? I think that answer is a resounding yes.

So here at the Kareem Jackson Fan Club, we're not going to give up on him just because of one average game.

Sure, Jackson dropped an interception that looked like a sure touchdown and which would have been the dagger needed to close out the game.

Yes, Jackson was burned for a touchdown(Seen at 2:15 in the video). While I might add that Justin Woodall was a little lazy coming over to help him on the play. KJ doesn't ask for much, just a little help once in a while.

So, I'm not giving up on KJ yet. I'm with my guy, win or lose.

Would you want him on your team?

Two months ago, if you would have told me that the Tide would be 5-0 including a win at Georgia, I would have called you crazy. Strangely, however, I felt it coming all week. (I also feel a big letdown game is coming this week against Kentucky, which scares me.)

Since Bama won the big "Game of the Week", they were covered by all of the national guys. Here's a good sampling of what is being said about them nationally.

All are good reads and makes the day after that much more fun.

The Tide Might Be Ranked #1 This week - Pat Forde - ESPN.com

While I find this highly unlikely, I guess you could make a case for it. However, it doesn't matter and it just feels good to have your team's name mentioned in the Top 10.

You can be happy with the win, but Saban says we lost 30-10 in the second half - Dan Wetzel - Yahoo.com

Also a very valid point by Saban. Alabama failed to put away the game in the 2nd half. If we keep having those same mental errors, we're going to let some team hang around and beat us somewhere down the line.

Welcome back to the top Bama - Dennis Dodd - CBS.Sportsline.com

Dodd makes the point that Alabama has beaten 2 Top 10 ranked teams on the road, and thus has the best resume to be ranked #1. Although let's be fair, Clemson may not be a Top 25 team at this point. He also talks about how Alabama took it to Georgia and dominated the first half. Umm, the second half is not mentioned as much...

Alabama dashed Georgia's title hopes - Andy Staples - SI.com

Not so fast my friend. Let's say Georgia convincingly runs the table from here on out. People won't remember the 31-0 first half, they'll remember that Georgia made a game out of it in the second half. Remember, this loss happened in September. There is a lot of time left for the Dawgs to resurrect themselves nationally.

Special Teams Play could haunt the Tide down the Stretch - playisunderreview.com

Yes, Georgia scored 30 points in the second half, but let's look at how it happened.

They scored one touchdown on a punt return (and yes there was holding and a block in the back not called on that play, but you have to overcome those things).

Georgia also had a long kickoff return which gave them the ball on the Alabama 40, which led to a touchdown. This has been a trademark of this team. For some reason they can't cover the kickoff. Georgia was almost in field goal position when they started their offense.

Alabama also failed to hold on to the onside kick, which led to another touchdown (I think). Had they recovered the onside kick, Alabama's tired defense would have stayed off of the field.

A win is a win, right? I'm not "drinking the Kool-Aid" yet, but I'm getting closer. And yes, I'll address my boy, Kareem Jackson's play later...

Here's a clip from a SI article about USC's 35-3 victory over Ohio State from 2 weeks ago.

THE DISTURBANCE emanated from the second floor of L.A.'s downtown Marriott last Saturday. Guests in the lobby lounge were startled by the sight—and sound—of 60 or so USC players one floor above them. Before going into a meeting in one of the ballrooms, they let out a kind of primal moan—Oooooohhhhh—followed by three sharp grunts: Oof! Oof! Oof!

It was not until they got behind closed doors that the Trojans went truly off the hook. In a giant huddle around running backs coach Todd McNair, they danced and bounced, making the floor and the walls shake. Water and sports drinks filled the air. Chants broke out—"SC! Power!" and "War time! Let's take it outside!"—and shirts came off. A bare-chested Maualuga was hopping and spinning, his frizzy mane trailing him. Matthews and fellow linebacker Kaluka Maiava practiced mixed martial arts on each other.

Three years ago, on an official visit to USC, a wideout from Glenville (Ohio), Ray Small, witnessed this madness and was turned off. "How are they successful?" he asked himself. "They're not even serious about the game." He compared that to the calm, orderly pregame scene that awaited him at Ohio State, where he would later commit.

Small could not have known that the purpose of this controlled anarchy—a ritual instituted by Carroll not long after his arrival in late 2000—is to reinforce trust and to eliminate doubt. "The preparation is done," Carroll explains. "We want them to trust that everything's O.K., that we got everything right. There's no need to be uptight or afraid of making mistakes. Now it's time to go out, have a little fun, play a little Trojanball."

This might explain why the Trojans lost to Stanford last year and lost to Oregon State last night.

Getting your players relaxed sounds great, especially when you just beat a "top 5" team by 32 points. It's easy to get you mind ready and be serious for the big games. In fact, many players get too uptight and thus the coaches try to get the players to relax. But on the flip side, sometimes it is hard to get serious for a game in which you are a 25 point favorite.

Remember, these guys are 18-22 years old. Do you remember how you looked at things when you were that age? No worries, man! I'll take care of it.

Everyone gets prepared in different ways. If last night's game was the first time USC lost to a double digit underdog, you might just call it a fluke. But it looks like it's becoming a pattern.

By the way, despite what everyone will be saying today. Somehow I have a feeling that USC will be in the national championship hunt in the end. The national media loves USC too much.

It's been funny to watch the back and forth between Alabama and Georgia regarding the whole "Black Out" thing. Here's the full story, but to save time, I'll give you a brief summary.

• Georgia decides it will wear black jerseys and the fans will wear all black. They'll have a "Black Out"


• Saban wears a black shirt to a press conference, potentially mocking the situation.


• Alabama assistant coach gets caught on tape telling the team that GA is wearing black because they are going to a funeral. (Expletives intentionally omitted)


• Richt wears a red shirt to a press conference and mocks Saban's response to a question from a reporter.


• Richt wears all black and says he looks like he is going to a funeral, mocking the Alabama coach.

Really, it's much ado about nothing. In this politically correct world, we have gotten used to coaches and players giving us bland answers. So we jump all over a story like this, because we're used to comments from players saying the "Black Out" doesn't mean anything.

For some reason, we just accept bland answers and move on. It's gotten to the point that we go crazy when a coach really speaks his mind. We love it, especially when they give us a memorable quote in the process.

Obvious examples include:

"You Play to Win the Games"

"Playoffs?"

"I'm a Man. I'm 40!"

"It's Division I Football!"

"You Don't Live in Cleveland"

"We Gotta Stop that Inside Trap!"

For some reason, it's gotten so bad with comments from players and coaches that we'll accept the dreaded "It is, what it is" answer to any question from a reporter.

Example:

Reporter: "Coach. Your defense can't stop anybody. What do you think the problem is?"

Coach: "It is, what it is."

And the reporter moves on. And we are all OK with it.

Listen to an interview sometime and see how many times it happens. For some reason that is just an acceptable answer. I'm sure it happened slowly, but if it works in sports, why can't it work somewhere else?

In relationships, at work and at school, we can start using this as an excuse.

Why didn't you take out the trash last night?

"It is, what it is."

These numbers are all wrong on the report.

"It is, what it is."

Do you have any explanation for your behavior over the last few months?

"It is, what it is."

Why do you get so upset when someone is watching a game on TV and they clap when their team gets a first down, even though they aren't at the game?

"It is, what it is."

Why did you let the fantasy league fold this year, yet at the last minute you joined a public league in which you don't know a single person?

"It is, what it is."

And finally, I'll save the commenters the time on this one. Why did was this post so bad?

"It is, what it is."

I love conspiracy theories. Take a few facts, assuming everyone is out for money and making some big assumptions. Then you put them all together and you come up with a great conspiracy.

We all know the basic sports conspiracies:

NBA Playoffs are rigged.

The reason we don't have a playoff in college football. Wait a minute, that's not a theory, it's fact.

And so on...

Here is the latest theory I just recently came across. It's a long read, I mean extremely wrong, but the comedic value is high. Here's a summary, should you chose not to read it.

• NFL's TV contract is about to run out in 1989 and everyone is concerned that they will lose revenue in the next contract.



• There is a power play between the "new" owners and the "old" owners which results in Pete Rozelle quiting as commissioner.



• Meanwhile, "America's Team" is losing (Dallas Cowboys) and this is the reason TV ratings are down. (According to the theorist)



• Something has to be done, so the new owners (including one Jerry Jones) sets up the lopsided Herchael Walker trade.



• The "new owners" made sure they got "their" guy as the commish, so he would approve the trade.



• In return, Minnesota received the Super Bowl in 1992, to help offset the cost of acquiring Walker and the resulting seasons.
  

I've left out several quotes and key points the author made. You really have to read it. Just make sure you've got the time.

In other random NFL notes....

Isn't it crazy that Ronnie Brown had an out of world fantasy game last week and hardly anyone started him? According to Yahoo!, he was only started in 25% of their leagues. On the ESPN.com leagues, he was only started 16% of the time. He's destined to disappoint owners this week.

Only Gus Johnson could make the Atlanta - Kansas City game exciting. Why doesn't Gus get more love from CBS?

If only Terrell Owens would keep his mouth shut, we'd all probably like him a lot more. Did you see his block on Felix Jones' touchdown run? (at the 1:30 mark) Jones doesn't score if TO doesn't block on this play. Sure these announcers acknowledge the block, but Madden and Michaels acted as if it never even happened during the telecast. Of course, no one cares because that play has no fantasy value...

Finally some love for my boy Kareem. Although, this article really doesn't mention to much about the fact that he is locking down everybody, here are a few quotes from the article.

With 92,746 watching in Sanford Stadium and millions more watching on ESPN on Saturday night, Jackson receives the opportunity to show No.3 Georgia (4-0) what it missed when he attempts to defend receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and A.J. Green.

"They have a lot of weapons, so I'm going to try to lock in this week," said Jackson, the 5-foot-11, 192-pounder who cheered mostly for Miami as a child. "And it's always good to play in front of your family."

"He's got great feet, and he makes very good reads on the ball," said quarterback John Parker Wilson. "He uses his hands well and doesn't leave a lot of space between him and the defender."

"He gives me the most problems of all the cornerbacks because he's very smart," McCoy said. "He's very patient. He waits on me to make the first move. He's sound. He's a perfectionist."

Instead, Jackson is at Alabama, trying to find enough tickets to satisfy his friends and family for this weekend. Instead, Jackson is a stalwart at corner who doesn't receive many opportunities to make a play. Against Arkansas, as the secondary was picking off four passes, Jackson was repeating the same pre-snap thought.

"Throw it my way."

At this point, I believe we can officially decalare that the Play is Under Review "Man Crush" has begun...............

I'm sure, sometime in your lifetime, you've had to play the "Telephone" game to demonstrate how rumors get spread. Someone starts with a crazy fact and then they have to whisper that fact to the next person in line. By the time 20 people have heard the fact, it doesn't even resemble the original statement.

And it applies to sports as well. We hear someone state an opinion on the radio, on a message board, on a blog, or at the office and before long we regard it as fact. Only to find out that person was wrong.

A classic example was the goofball that called into the radio show I was listening to on the way home today. He had "heard" that Alabama was going to go "White Out" their uniforms (including helments) since Georgia would be wearing their black jerseys for Saturday's game. (And don't think this isn't a future "Stuff Sports Fans Like" post, the whole "White Out" concept.)

I've heard a statement multiple times today, and after thinking about it (and doing some research) I'm convicted that its not right. Here's the statement:

Until Auburn's quarterback is a legitimate threat to run, their offense will not work.

I'm sure this is based on the fact that people are thinking about the West Virginia spread.

It might be based on the fact that Tony Franklin's quarterback at Troy carried the ball 155 times last year with an average of 4 yards per carry. In fact, this is probably what everyone is basing that statement on.

Or it could be based on the fact that Auburn's backup QB (Kody Burns) is primarily considered a running QB. And we all know that the best QB on the team is always the backup.

However, consider this before you think that statement is true. When you consider BCS schools, these three teams currently have successful "Spread" Offenses:

Missouri

Texas Tech

Oklahoma

Now let's look at the running stats for the quarterback of these schools.

Missouri - 14 rushes 74 yards

Texas Tech - 8 rushes -6 yards

Oklahoma - 4 rushes 4 yards

Not exactly running the ball up and down the field, are they?

Ahh, but Franklin's spread is different and relies on the run. Well..... I'm not so sure.... You see Franklin developed this offense at Kentucky, with another guy named Mike Leach the Texas Tech coach and a guy named Hal Mumme, who's currently the head coach at New Mexico State. (If you care, his QB has carried it 14 times for -25 yards this year.)

And if you look at their quarterbacks were they running quarterbacks?

Tim Couch - nope

Dusty Bonner - nope

Jared Lorenzan - definitely not

So Franklin has been successful without a running quarterback.

I'm no spread expert, but I'm sure you can't just change offenses overnight and expect everything to be perfect. There is so much timing involved that I'm sure it will take time. And I'm sure of this, Auburn will be clicking on all cylinders by the time they face my school, Alabama. It just always happens that way.

But just to clear it up, it's not the QB's ability to run. I just wanted to establish that....

If a tree falls down in a forest and no one hears it, does it really fall down?

If you hit a hole in one, while playing golf by yourself, does anyone believe you?

If the US wins the Ryder Cup without Tiger, but it happens during football seasdon, does anyone really care?

If you blog on a website that no one cares about, does anyone know it exists?

If you are a lockdown corner for Alabama, and the opposing team throws away from you, and all the other guys get interceptions, do you get any recognition?

The resounding answer to that is NO.

As you can see from the link above, the Birmingham News ran a story on the play of the secondary from yesterday's win over Arkansas. Sure, there were several interceptions and Jackson didn't have any of them. But maybe it is because everyone is throwing away from him.

Mt. Cody gets all of the attention up front for this defense, which frees up room for the linebackers to make plays. Jackson is doing the same thing for this defense.

If I remember correctly, Arkansas threw on him twice. Once, he was step for step with the intended receiver. The other time, he was covering the back out of the backfield on third down of the "Goal Line Stand". He stayed at home when about 80% of the time the corner bites on that play.

I guess we'll find out if this is just a theory or reality on Saturday against Georgia. Georgia has a couple of tough receivers in Massaquoi and Green. If Georgia doesn't throw to Jackson's man this week, I'm declaring a full blown conspiracy against the love for Kareem Jackson. Why does everyone have to keep the man down?

In other notes:

I wish, just once, that the announcers would acknowledge the fact that Auburn's quarterback floats every pass he throws. I realize LSU has speed on defense, but not that much speed. Every play was almost broken up because the ball took to long to get there.

Classic Saban at halftime of the Arkansas - Alabama game. If you didn't see it, he complained that the defense wasn't playing very good. And yes, the score was 35-7. And yes, they were making a lot of mistakes.

Maybe the Tide is turning a little bit. (Yes the pun was intended.) Any Alabama fan from the last couple of years knows that the Tide would have dropped at least two of those interceptions. Also, the RB's would have been caught from behind or there would have been a holding penalty. Those things just happened the last couple of years.

This statement from ESPN.com's Chris Low says it all....

The sobering truth for the Big Orange Nation is this: Tennessee is an average football program right now, certainly a program that has managed a few highs this decade, but a program that becomes less and less relevant on the national stage with each embarrassing defeat it suffers similar to the one Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

Ouch!!!

I have a friend that is a huge Cubs fan. He's also a frequent reader of this site. Usually, I write stuff to get him outraged, but that is not the intent of this post.

I've actually been thinking about his mental state lately. As the Cubs near the postseason, he has to have mixed emotions. On the one hand, I can see him excited about the fact that they have a chance to win it all. On the other hand, he has to be concerned that something bad will happen.

I remember talking to him after the Bartman game and I almost sent the cops after him like the Titans sent them after Vince Young. I'm not sure he can handle it again.

Which brings me to this video....

As crazy as it sounds, I can see Cubs fans acting this way if something were to happen.

Picture it now. Instead of the hippies sitting around a fallen tree, you would see Cubs fans facing Wrigley field.

Announcer: In north Chicago, a radical group of Cubs fans mourn another failed attempt at winning the World Series.

Cubs fan #1 (Screaming and crying): I want to mourn.....the loss...... and the bad calls... made by and against.... the Cubs. And I want to tell the team that we love them and that we don't want them to lose. There are people here that will still root for you. I want you to know that Cubs.

Cubs fan #2 (Speaking Rationally): As Cubs fans, we're deeply hurting. Our identity is that of a team that just can't win the World Series. We're deeply hurting and no one can understand that. As we have evolved, we've come closer. This cathedral (Wrigley Field) is a source of life. Who doesn't love the ivy? It makes me feel alive.

Cubs fan #3 (In meditation): I've seen the Red Sox and Marlins win the World Series. I've even seen the White Sox win it all .... and I didn't scream and I didn't cry.... and I need to..."AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" (All other Cubs fans nod in amazement)

It seems pretty realistic doesn't it?

You could also substitute the following groups in place of the Cubs:

Alabama football fans if they lose to Auburn again this year.

College football fans, if Ohio St ends up in the championship game again.

You get the picture....

I've never been able to sit in first class on an airplane. Every time I get on a plane, and I walk by those people in first class, I think back to the Seinfeld episode which makes fun of the differences between first class and coach.

At this point, every stadium in the country seems to have the same "first class" system. We as sports fans love the thought of sitting in "The Box". And here's some full disclosure. The company I work for has a luxury suite at all Alabama football games. So for the last three years I have been able to attend home football games sitting in the box.

Since most of you "common folks" don't have this opportunity, I thought I would give you a first hand like at what goes on up there. Some of you might get to visit one once or twice, but as a veteran I believe I have some keen observations for you.

Food

Obviously, there is always good food in the box and there is usually plenty of it to go around. The best thing about going to several games in the box is you forget how spoiled you are. Last week I was discussing with one of my "box" friends the new concession menu in the stadium. Neither one of us have had to go to the concession stand, but we were discussing the general comments of our "common folk" friends who have to sit in the stands. My friend made the comment, "Who comes to the game to eat fancy food anyway?" Then he stuffed another coconut shrimp in his mouth. Good times.

You also have to pace yourself with the food. I have a tried and true schedule that works for me. General plate for pregame. One stadium dog at half time, followed by an ice cream bar from the Mayfield freezer at the start of the third quarter. (More on this later)

Class system

If you ever lived in a dorm during college, you'll remember how each floor, or hallway, took on a personality of its own. I'm convinced the floor above my dorm room my freshman year was evil. They even changed the hallway light bulbs to purple.

Just like the dorm room hallways, each box takes on a personality of its own. Here are a few of the personalities.

The Ballroom

Everyone in this box is dressed up like they are attending a fundraiser. Most of the women stand out in the hallway with their wine glasses and fancy dresses. Interest in the game is approximately 0%. Maybe one or two men in the box might care.

New Money Box

Every once in a while, a good ole country boy will make it rich and get himself a box. There are plenty of Bud Lights flowing and everyone wears the Alabama pants mentioned in last week's post.

Corporate Box

One of my friends sits in this box. His large company has a box and they bring in customers from around the country. Most people don't know each other and it's pretty quiet in there. In fact, most of the people in the box aren't even fans of the home team.

Fan Box

I think this adequately describes our box. Tried and true fans. Passionate about the game. No socializing done except during timeouts, halftime and before the game. You better be knowledgeable and ready to watch the game. In fact, it gets pretty loud in there because you have walls surrounding everyone screaming at the field.

As you can imagine, when you combine the "classes" you have some interesting situations. I was reminded of this as I went to the aforementioned Mayfield Ice Cream box at the end of the half last week. Can you believe I have to walk all the way down the hallway? As I was walking back with my "Moo Bar" in hand, I had to weave in and out of all the fancy people with their wine glasses. I felt like that dork in high school that was walking through the cool kids section. Wait a minute. That was me....

Obvious Perks

Until I went to the Alabama - Clemson game a few weeks ago, I had not attended a football game in "the stands" since I started sitting in the box. Here are a few perks of sitting in the box that I forgot about.

Never having to worry about "that guy who stands up too much."

Climate control. As Homer Simpson would say, "Mmmm. Climate Control."

Multiple TV's, which allow you to see what is going on in the other games.

Downsides

Getting barbeque sauce on your shirt.......

Last week, I ran into an old friend from college. We haven't seen each other in 14 years and he in the time we were able to talk, he seemed to be the same guy as he was back then. His mannerisms still made me laugh and I promised to hook up with him on Facebook soon.

On the way home, my wife reminded me of a story involving him from college. One day we rode together to the rec center to work out. (I guess that's why we were going. Or maybe it was to work on my mad basketball skillz...) As we arrived at the rec, he informed me he was going to just leave his wallet in the car. Right after I told him that it would be ok to do that, he placed his wallet on the dash of my car and proceeded to get out. When I told him that he couldn't do that, he responded, "What? There is nothing in it anyway!"

Obviously, the thief that would bust through my windshield to take a peek at my wallet wouldn't know that. Sometimes, you overlook the obvious things because you're focused on something else. My friend was focused on the fact that he had no money. I saw a wallet sitting on the dash.

Which brings me tonight to the Alabama defense. A defense which has allowed only one touchdown all season so far.

There are many reasons the defense is playing well.

Cody demanding double and triple teams up the middle, which in turn allows McClain to play unblocked all night long.

The stellar play of Rashad Johnson at free safety. (Although, it was his fault the one touchdown was scored this year.) Johnson importance to Saban's defense is found on this site, which is a must read for any Alabama fan.

The increased depth at every position with the freshman class.

But there is one little story that no one is talking about. Something that quietly started happening last year and has developed into a full blown advantage for the defense this year.

Alabama has a "Lock Down" corner.

Quietly, Kareem Jackson became the best corner on the team last year. No one really noticed him, and that's what is supposed to happen to a corner on defense. You are never supposed to hear from them. Except when he gets an interception.

This year, in the first three games, it appears that the opponents are actually going out of their way to go away from him. He'll actually be tested pretty hard this week as Arkansas has a big passing attack. Think about it though. Have you heard anything out of Jackson this year?

In the last two games, I have noticed and pointed out to the fans around me that the opposing teams are going away from Jackson. Last week, Western Kentucky's quarterback wouldn't even look his way. And if you cut down one side of the field, it sure does allow Johnson to cheat to the other side, which he was blatantly doing Saturday night.

So why are you hearing anything about Jackson?

If no one throws his way, he's not involved in many plays. Everyone remembers the other corners making all the tackles (Arenas for example), but they don't remember someone with no tackles. Plus, he doesn't even have opportunity for interceptions if they don't throw his way. Although, he has played really well in stopping the run on his side.

Also, Saban only releases the information he wants to release. Since he doesn't release much info, the beat writers are stuck scrambling to write a story about the few guys he makes available for interviews. Make no mistake about it, he wants to keep this thing under wraps.

I did some e-mailing to see if I could get some additional information about this, but as of right now, I didn't get the answer I was looking for. One beat writer even concurred with my theory and I'm hoping he's thought the same thing. I just wanted to see if it my theory has merit as I may be missing some key piece of information. (And yes, this information is directed at the three losers who were harassing me about not posting today.) If I get the follow up, I'll post it on this site.

So keep an eye on Jackson this weekend against Arkansas. Of course, now that I have written this, he'll get torched for three touchdowns.......

Remember when MJ retired? The first time?

He was on top of his sport.

He had just won three championships.

When he retired, he took up another sport.

After a year and a half, he returned to the sport he loved.

And there was a little speculation that his retirement wasn't on the up and up.

I love the conspiracy theories involving MJ's first retirment. There was rampid speculation that MJ was suspended for gambling and the NBA kept it "hush, hush" to protect his and their image. I mean, really, why would the best NBA player of all time go play minor league baseball? It just doesn't make sense.

Why in the world would I bring up MJ, other than to invoke a comment beatdown from commenter JRAY? Now we get the news that Lance Armstrong is coming back. Here's essentially what the article says...

He will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphine-Libere and the Tour de France. The sources told VeloNews that Armstrong will receive no salary or bonuses.

The Big Lead had the best comment of all.

Sixty year-olds in skintight shorts everywhere are rejoicing...

In order to be fair, let's compare MJ to Lance.

MJ was on top of his sport when he retired. So was Lance. Check!

MJ had just won three championships. Lance won the last six. Check!

MJ played for the Birmingham Barons. Lance took up marathoning. Check! (For those of you that would argue that bicycling and marathoning are the same, you wrong. There is a reason the over 60 crowd rides bikes. There is also a reason that the top cyclist in the world would finish 45 minutes behind the top marathoners in the world.)

MJ was involved with an alleged controversy, Gambling. Many people assumed Lance was taking some sort of performance enhancer. Check!

Both came back to their orginal sport. Check!

Look, it's highly unlikely that Armstrong was suspended for PED's. No one could have kept that secret quiet. Especially the silly litte French.

But as much as they hated him, wouldn't they have motive? Lance leaving the sport of cycling has to be similiar to Tiger leaving golf. Love him or hate him, they need him in the sport. If word had come out that Lance was doping, he would never be respected in the sport again.

If people actually thought MJ was suspended for gambling, why couldn't they think this about Lance? In fact, the Lance theory sounds a little more credible than the MJ theory.

Remember when I discussed "Gameday" clothes yesterday?

A new trend is slowly starting at Alabama that includes the worst looking pants ever. A guy that sits near us at the home games wears these things all the time. You can see them here to the right.

It has now come to my attention that my younger cousin apparently found some apparell from the same clothing line and assembled the second worst Alabama ensemble of all time. (First would be the suspenders and the Roll "Tide" box.) He will be banished to the loser table at all family functions for the next three years.

And worse than that. He was caught on video. You can see him tailgating here. There's a reason he's prominently displayed and its not because they think he's cool.

"Seriously?"

"You don't actually expect this to work do you?"

"What is this world coming to?"

These are all actual thoughts I had as I was leaving my daughter's PTO meeting tonight. And no, it wasn't because the Music teacher blew the que to start the CD, which my daughter delivered so perfectly. It was actually a response to an advertisement I saw on the door. It was for Therapy Dogs International.

What is TDI, you ask?

For some reason, if your child is having trouble reading, you can bring them to the library and a trained dog will listen to them read. This, in turn, will help your child gain more confidence and they will bond with the dog.

I'm not making this up. You can check out their website here. It's really sad when dogs are taking the place of parents. Shouldn't parents give their children confidence? Or how about another adult?

Regardless, that's the point of this post. It's just a clever intro to point out that as ridiculous as TDI is, Pep Rallies are even more ridiculous.

Now at this point, I know my female readers are going to be upset. In high school, you loved to rock the PR. Somehow, you felt like you could contribute to guy's performance in the game if you cheered louder or decorated his front lawn. So in the name of spirit, high school students everywhere gather to get a team fired up 5 hours before the start of the game.

And let's be honest. Most guys have the same feeling I had when I was in high school.

"Seriously?"

"You don't expect this to work do you?"

"What is this world coming to?"

"I don't have to go to class?"

"OK count me in!"

So we all gather in the gym and watch everyone fawn over the football players. Who walk in with their chests poked out and tell us they are going to beat "Insert Team Name Here" this week. And the girls (and that one "guy") try to make everyone feel guilty if they don't show some spirit.

And then the insane competition between the classes start out. If your class yells the loudest you win the spirit stick. Unless you go to a local high school a friend of mine teaches at. Apparently at the last pep rally, someone in the Sophomore class threw something at the Freshman class. A brawl of epic proportions ensued. I'm guessing neither class won the spirit stick that week. That winner can truly be determined.

As lame as high school pep rallies were (and still are), unfortunately men all over the world continue the tradition without even knowing they are doing it. I was reminded of that in our hotel last weekend in Atlanta.

The two rooms across from us were filled with college students. At approximately 8 AM, they decided to start the original chant "What time is it? Gametime!". Ironically, it wasn't even close to game time. And since they weren't even going to play one signal down, or even dress out, what fueled their need for this chant? It's the beyond high school pep rally.

Without even realizing we are doing it, here's how college football fans across the south currently perform their own "Pep Rally" before a game. And this one version doesn't include alcohol, the non-player's Gatorade. That's a whole different version, but you'll get the point.

On Saturday, you wake up and at some point you have to watch Gameday. This is the start of the pep rally and is the equivalent to the band playing the fight song to start the pep rally. You have to start somewhere and this starts to get you focused. Especially if the guys just talk your team's game.

This is followed by putting on the appropriate attire. Either it's a shirt that hasn't given you a loss yet (you know what I'm talking about) or it's that lucky pair of underwear. This is the equivalent of the team walking into the gym. Now we're serious. Nothing else on our mind but to focus. And if you don't have your attire on yet, that "guy" will come up to you and sass you into getting your gear on.

If you are going to the game, you arrive early to the appropriate location. You've got to get a lay of the land. Make sure you've got your game face on. Show everyone what kind of fan you are. This is the "Seniors (clap, clap) Seniors (clap, clap)" portion of your pep rally.

Next you'll meet up with some friends at a tailgate and everyone convinces themselves that your team is going to dominate today. Just like when the Captain of the football team mumbles into the mike, "Those Wildcats are going to be tamed tonight!" and everyone goes crazy.

Eventually, you get to the stadium early so you can see how the team warms up. You know, to make sure the Wildcats are actually going to be tamed. This is your "Spirit Stick" portion of the pep rally. To get the Spirit stick, you have to go beyond the call of duty. You have to show some extra spirit. So why not go ahead and get there early and scout the other team. Make sure your QB is hitting the target. Yell a little bit if the team doesn't look like they have the right attitude.

It's almost game time now. (What time is it?) You've gotten chills from the scoreboard intro. (A Stuff Sports Fans Like topic for another day). It's like the end of the pep rally. You've done all you can to get the team fired up before the game. They should now be ready to go.

On paper, it seems so lame doesn't it. Just like the Pep Rally. I guess it just something Sports Fans Like.

Wow, I should have seen that coming. (Alabama's lackluster 20-6 win over Tulante) Unfortunately, I got caught up in the hype as well. One of my first posts on this site was the "Hangover Game" Theory. While my writing was absolutely horrible (and has only gotten slightly better) the principle behind the HGT remains true. Here's the theory in it earliest form:


A team plays an "elite" team close, or they might even win. Then the next week, they look like a totally different team. They usually look flat and are never in the game. The game against the "elite" team gets special coverage in the media, meanwhile the next opponent is just waiting to pounce on their next victim.


You can debate whether Clemson was an "elite" team. However, they were ranked in the top 10. Alabama was the media darling of the week (see Sports Illustrated). Even the fans had a little too much optimism.

Remember, exactly one week earlier, everyone was thinking 7-4, maybe 8-3 for this team. Suddenly after one game, everyone is thinking SEC Championship. Even I fell for the trap. All week I heard folks talking about how the Tide would win easily this week. There was even excitement about seeing the young guys getting some playing time on Saturday. You could feel it in the stadium. There was no excitement like in Atlanta. Just a coolness that we'll line up, run the ball down their throats and win the game. Never mind that our All-American left tackle wouldn't play. (Even though we ran it behind him last week a lot. And I mean a lot.)

Meanwhile, Tulane was sitting in Birmingham listening to all of the Alabama hype. Remember, they were evacuated from New Orleans due to the hurricane. No classes, no media coverage, just a week of football. They were primed for a classic HGT game.

Regardless, Alabama won and that's all that matters. We (and yes I suited up. In my mind!) may not have played well, however it sure feels a lot better than the LA-Monroe game doesn't it.

Other notes:

A friend watching the game with me can verify this. I called the Arenas injury early in the game. I just didn't think it would happen against Tulane. All of his dancing in a crowd is going to get himself or one of his teammates killed. See Karem Jackson for the vicious hit he took.

It seems I touched a nerve with my how to watch a game post. Several of my friends at the game were paranoid that anything they did would violates some of the tenants. Good times. I even violated a few principles. Hey,we all can learn from our mistakes.

I know I'll probably be against the grain on this one. Especially since the same people I'm addressing love the Rammer Jammer cheer. But I liked giving the opposing team a respectful clap as they entered the field. How awesome would it be to have a light cheer for the opposing team, and then a thunderous roar for the Tide? (Save your redneck, "he's a Commie!" comments. I understand the only thing you hate worse than death is an opposing SEC team. And the thought of even clapping for Auburn, Tennessee or LSU makes you want to go jump off a bridge.) I just think it would show some class. And as the drunk fans from the MARTA station would tell you, Alabama fans have class.


Finally, correctly timed "Fly-Overs" rock. The Fly-overs that are 30 seconds late, not so good...

By now, I'm sure all of you have seen the stuff white people like website. But more importantly, I'm in love with a site that takes that idea and runs with it. I love the Stuff Christians Like website.

Anytime someone can make fun of themselves, I'm all in. Anytime someone can be blatantly sarcastic and yet the commenters sometimes don't realize it, I'm all for it. Anytime you point out something that everyone does and then you realize it's really stupid. I'm game. Anytime you write three sentences that start with "Anytime" and finish it up with "I'm", you've gone too far.

First, let me urge you to visit the SCL site daily. (Yea, I've read the site enough that I feel like I'm cool enough to abbreviate it.) Second. I thought it would be great to take that idea and apply it to sports fans. I've already mocked sports fans a little bit a week ago, but it should be fun to continue. I'll have these from time to time. I have several ideas and if you've got something send it to me. I'm sure we'll have fun with it.

In the post about how to act at a football game, Drew Rosenhaus gave us this addition.

People...please...please..when a penalty is called, do not imitate the ref's hand motions. Especially the "safety" motion. that's just gay and lame.

He's so right. For some reason, we as fans feel the need to imitate the refs. I saw a whole lot of folks giving the "First Down" sign Saturday. You guys know who you are.

Next time your team scores a touchdown, take a quick moment to look around and see how many people are giving the touchdown sign. It's amazing. You'll also see fans imitating the holding call and don't even get me started on the "Face Mask" sign.

But imitating the refs isn't limited to football. Next time someone is shooting a three point shot, take a look at the student section. Everyone will have their hands up imitating the three point sign.

But the funny thing is, we don't do this in other walks of life. The only time we see someone imitate a police officer, teacher, boss or any other form of authority, they are usually mocking them. Not celebrating what just happened.

Let's say for example I'm in school and I just got an A on a test. Do I celebrate by getting up and pretending to be the teacher and write an imaginary grade on my fake paper? That would seem absurd.

Yet it seems pretty normal to stand up and make the first down motion as soon as your team recovers a fumble. Or if you think the opposing team's coach is getting out of line, fans everywhere start making the "Technical" sign.

So next time you're leaving the game and the cops are directing traffic, when you get the go ahead sign to turn left, go ahead and imitate the cop. Why not, you just did it all night at the game.....

Look, I know. You're sick of the Olympic stuff. But this is just a follow up. When a guy comes out of nowhere and just dominates the track and field scene. People will be a little skeptical. You know the investigative reporters are going to start checking every Jamacian track star to see if anyone has any link to roids.

And here are the first.

This has a Barry Bonds feel to it. They won't be satisfied until they get the big guy. Only time will tell. Is he really clean????

Quick story, if you haven't seen it. Two parachuters scheduled to bring the game ball for the North Carolina game, landed 8 miles away in Duke's stadium an hour before their kickoff.

Could be worse though. Back in 1997, I attended a game at Mississippi St. The winds were strong that night and the game started at 8:00. At that time it was one of the first games to start at that time. Now they do it pretty regularly.

Regardless, the wind was strong. So strong that the Bulldog mascot apparently landed on Sorority Row. And the parachuter that landed in the stadium? Well, a gust of wind picked up at the last moment and he crashed to the ground, breaking his leg.

Maybe we should all just stick with the flyovers.....

It happened 9 years ago. I was standing in the same stinking line to get on a MARTA train. And I had the same feeling. My team had just destroyed a nationally ranked team and it wasn't even close.

The last time I was in the Georgia Dome to see the Crimson Tide play was the 1999 SEC Championship Game. We had just dismantled the Florida Gators 34-7 and finished a season that, really, no one expected the Tide to have. Led by Chris Samuels and Shaun Alexander, the Tide finished off the SEC season with a win. It was great. Florida fans had long ago exited the Dome and the only folks remaining in the MARTA lines were Alabama fans.

You haven't lived until you've ridden the MARTA with 40,000 euphoric, drunk Alabama fans. The comedy level is at an all-time high. First, many Alabama fans come from a town that has one stop light and have never ridden any sort of mass transit system in their life. Second, when you combine the fact that alcohol was served at the Dome, well, let's just say it can get kind of ugly down there.

This year I was treated to a drunk dude from Huntsville, who decided I was his guy. He asked me three times how to get to Buckhead (unfortunately, I was going to the same stop) and once I told him I was going there, he declared to everyone around him, "I'm with this guy." Then when another drunk Alabama fan started trashing the two poor Clemson fans that decided to stay around, my drunk friend told him (in that slurred, drunken voice we all know and love), "Keep it classy man." Good times.

Back to the game. So after losing to Tom Brady's Michigan team in the Orange Bowl, Alabama fans were excited about the upcoming season. We weren't losing very many players, just a few lineman including Chris Samuels and a stud running back in Shaun Alexander. Other than that, we were in good shape. In fact, we were rated #3 in the preseason and headed to an opener against UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

You couldn't believe the hype. Everyone on my flight out to Cali on Thursday night was decked out in Crimson. In fact, I believe most people on the flight did the "Roll, Tide, Roll" to the take off of the plane. We got to the Rose Bowl and Alabama fans packed out the Rose Bowl as soon as the gates were opened. We cheered and went crazy until the kickoff. And then....

Well....UCLA destroyed us. Our line play was awful and the game wasn't even as close as the score. Alabama lost 35-24, however 14 of those points came on a punt return and interception for touchdowns. So Clemson fans, I feel your pain. I know what it's like to enter the season ranked in the top 10 and then realize your line won't be able to support your stud skill players. And it didn't finish pretty for the Tide that year. We won only 3 games all year and our coach was fired.

As has been discussed over and over again. Don't overlook line play. On Saturday in the Dome, Alabama dominated both sides of the line. It wasn't even close. Coffee and Ingram (who somehow slid under the radar while everyone talked about Julio) weren't touched until they were 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. On the flip side, the Alabama D-Line was in the back field all night long.

For some reason, when the voters determine preseason rankings, they overlook line play every time. No team should ever be ranked in the top ten when one of their weaknesses is inexperience on the offensive line.

So what does that mean for the Crimson Tide? Coming out of the stadium, many fans had visions of a national championship in their head. I'm sure the alcohol had something to do with that. (Stay Classy Man!) But let's be honest. I can think of at least 3 other teams that would have dominated Clemson on Saturday night in the SEC (Florida, LSU and Georgia). Auburn and Tennessee would have probably beaten them as well. So let's calm down the expectations a little bit. I know what you're thinking when you read that paragraph (SEC! SEC! SEC!)

(Scratch that comment about Tennessee. 09/02/08)

Oh yea...Remember that UCLA team that beat a top ten ranked team and dominated them on the line in 2000? They finished the season 6-6. So let's just relax a little bit...