SB Nation User Blog: turnover

Saban angry over Tuberville's departure

turnover — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:52:33 -0000

Saban angry over Tuberville's departure

"Alabama coach Nick Saban responded angrily to today's news that Tommy Tuberville is out at Auburn after 10 years.

"'I guess we're 5-7 away from the same thing,' said Saban, lamenting this season's bloodletting of SEC coaches that led to three vacancies."

Decent comments section below this post at al.com...

12-0

turnover — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:04:08 -0000

Had anyone asked me on August 29 of this year (and I suppose several people did) what I would have anticipated Alabama's final regular season record to be, I'd have likely said (which is to say, I'm sure I did say) that I would expect 8-4, would be pleased with 9-3, and positively thrilled with 10-2.

And who wouldn't have been? It'd have been wholly unreasonable to expect more. And while reason is not necessarily a quality often ascribed to the more rabid among our number, I'd imagine one would be hard-pressed to find any Bama fan who could honestly say they expected anything approximating what we've seen.

As difficult as it may be to recall the rather dark days we all experienced as last autumn drew to a close, I think it important that we all do so, if only to be able to fully appreciate what has been accomplished in a dizzyingly brief amount of time.

A perfect regular season is a special thing. A perfect regular season in the SEC is an incredibly special thing. And a perfect regular season in the SEC following a 6-6 season? Well, that just doesn't happen in the real world. Not in 2008.

But it has. And no matter what happens come Saturday in Atlanta and in January, what Coach Saban and his staff and, most importantly, this group of young men has accomplished these past several months should be appreciated, applauded, and revered. By any standards, this is one hell of a football team.

That said, I will employ the same state-of-mind that I had as the Tide approached a neutral-site non-conference season-opener against the then 9th ranked team in the country: one of cautious optimism.

Twelve down. Two to go.

Roll Tide.

USA Today Pre-season Coaches Poll Released.

turnover — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:43:54 -0000

USA Today has released their pre-season coaches poll, and - not surprisingly - Georgia is ranked #1.

And deservedly so. With the way UGA finished the 2007 season - eight straight wins and an absolute pummeling of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl - the case was made (once again) for (at minimum) a +1 National Championship scenario.

I'm a little surprised to see the Tide atop the "others receiving votes" pile. While I was certain we'd show up in that classification, I rather expected us to be mid-pack. As it stands, we're 8 points behind #25 Fresno State.

Clemson, it should be noted, is ranked 9th. A win in Atlanta would do a hell of a lot to set the tone for the season, instilling much-needed confidence in the slew of young players we'll be fielding as the year progresses.

The team representing that cow college on the other side of the state comes in at #11, and our neighbors to the north appear in the #18 slot.

All in all, the SEC places five teams in the top 25, and a total of nine in the top 55 (including the "others").

Roll Tide.

Nadal, Spanish National Soccer Team on Garcia: "We're Going to Kick His A**."

turnover — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:31:43 -0000

(MADRID) - Sergio Garcia's 51st place finish in this years' Open Championship would, under normal circumstances, be disappointing. But given the athletic performances of several of his countrymen in recent weeks, it may actually be dangerous.

Two weeks ago today, Rafael Nadal won the men's singles final at Wimbledon, defeating world number one Roger Federer in what is already being described as the greatest match ever played. One week prior, Spain's National Football (soccer) Team captured the Euro Cup (2008 UEFA European Football Championship), defeating Germany in the final.

Garcia was among the favorites coming in to this weeks Open at Royal Birkdale, having lost the Claret Jug last year in a playoff to Irishman Padraig Harrington. Harrington defended his title today.

Garcia's performance at this years' Open is not sitting well in Madrid, where fans were hoping to keep their nation's winning streak alive.

Nadal, speaking on behalf of himself and La Selección, as Spain's national team is commonly known, minced no words when describing what awaits Garcia back home.

"We're going to kick his ass" Nadal said via an interpreter, as he carefully balanced two beautiful women on each arm. "His performance is unacceptable."

"The Inquisition? That was nothing." Nadal concluded.

According to a spokesperson, Garcia was halfway through a case of Michelob Ultra, and as such was unavailable for comment.

AP: Annika to Retire at End of Season

turnover — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:32:44 -0000

(Bumped up from diaries, for obvious reasons. And it's official.)

The Associated Press is reporting that Annika Sorenstam will retire from competitive play on the LPGA Tour at the conclusion of this season.

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1739723,00.html

"Annika Sorenstam will retire after the season, ending an LPGA Tour career in which she has won 72 tournaments to date and delivered a defining moment when she teed it up against the men on the PGA Tour.

She was to announce her decision at a news conference Tuesday at the Sybase Classic in Clifton, N.J., a person familiar with her plans told The Associated Press.

The 37-year-old Sorenstam has hinted at retirement the past several seasons, saying she wanted to devote more time to her growing business and to start a family. She is engaged to Mike McGee, son of former PGA Tour player Jerry McGee."

It's difficult to imagine a more impressive career for any athlete in any sport. Five consecutive LPGA Player of the Year awards just about says it all.

Godspeed, Annika.

Final Round: Blowing in the Wind (with poll)

turnover — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:04:12 -0000

Today's Augusta, Georgia forecast, courtesy of wunderground.com:

Mostly sunny and breezy. Highs in the upper 60s. West winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts around 30 mph.

The likelihood of anyone going particularly low today is, I would think, slim to none. I can scarcely imagine Augusta National yielding more than a handful of scores under par, and the 68s and 69s of the past few days have probably been blown clear across South Carolina and out into the Atlantic.

So what will this mean? Who has the chops to contend with the wind? How many 3-wood "stingers" will Tiger hit from the tees today? How will this affect putts on the already glassy greens?

This should be fun...

Poll

Who wins this thing?

Phil Mickelson

0 votes

Steve Flesch

0 votes

Stewart Cink

0 votes

Other

0 votes

Augusta National

0 votes

Mother Nature

1 votes

Trevor Immelman

1 votes

Paul Casey

1 votes

Brandt Snedeker

1 votes

Tiger Woods

0 votes

4 votes | Poll has closed

Tide Golfer at The Masters - Character

turnover — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:27:34 -0000

[editor's note, by Todd]
Bumped from the diaries.

Alabama senior Michael Thompson is currently the low amateur at The Masters, and is one stroke over the projected cut line. I will update this post after his round today is complete. Hopefully, he can get a stroke back and get to play the weekend.

(He is, by the way, wearing a white-with-red-script "A" cap.)

What moved me to post this though was his action on the Par 5 15th hole. As his set-up over his birdie putt - a putt that would have put him at least one stroke under the likely cut line, his ball moved ever so slightly - no more that a 1/4". He did not touch the ball, but the rules state that once a player addresses his putt, if the ball moves, it's a one stroke penalty.

Thompson was the only person on the course who could have possible seen so minute a movement. Still, he immediately stepped away from the ball, beckoned to a rules official, and called the penalty on himself.

The following par putt didn't fall, and he wound up with a bogey six. But the character he displayed in calling the penalty on himself is really the point here. There are, of course, echoes of Bobby Jones in his having done so.

It's all about character.

UPDATE: Thompson went on to Bogey 16, par 17 and 18, and as such will not make the cut. He also missed being the low amateur by - get this - one stroke.

The par at 18 was something else, though: his second shot finished on the green, but was well above the hole, necessitating a putt of approximately 50 feet with a break of (I'm not making this up) about 110 degrees. He lagged the ball to within two feet and finished with a par.

Cink Disqualified from Zurich Classic

turnover — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:18:02 -0000

According to the Golf Pregame show on TGC, Stewart Cink has been disqualified from the final round of the Zurich Classic after a series of events that can best be considered ... well ... bizarre.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=GOL&id=126&line=4634&spln=1

It seems that Cink and Zach Johnson were discussing over breakfast this morning some of the more arcane rules of golf. Johnson brought up an odd one, indeed, and Cink thought..."Hmm...I wonder if I've ever done that? Wait...I think I did that yesterday!".

Yesterday on 15, Cink's tee shot came to rest adjacent to a fairway bunker, necessitating that Cink stand in the bunker to play his second shot, which came to rest in a greenside bunker. He then proceeded to rake the fairway bunker in which he had been standing.

This is, according to the rules, a no-no: "Testing the surface of a hazard", it results in a two stroke penalty.

Unfortunately, no one caught the violation at the time, and as such Cink finished his round and signed his card w/o a penalty. So, when he called a rule official this morning to self-report the apparent rules violation, he was disqualified for having signed an incorrect scorecard.

Now, can someone remind me why we like this crazy-ass game so much?

Thoughts and Prayers for Siran Stacy

turnover — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:52:05 -0000

Update [2007-11-21 12:52:5 by Todd]:
The story gets sadder and sadder:

Alabama State Highway Patrol investigators say alcohol was likely a factor in the accident, "in the case of Mr. Wayman," Sgt. Tracy Nelson said.

"We’ve got to still get toxicology reports and our investigators at the scene say it may be a factor," Nelson said. "But until we get all the facts we can’t say for sure that it was a factor."

Update [2007-11-21 8:59:9 by Todd]:
Once again, we'll keep this at the top of the page, so scroll down for new posts. We also got this e-mail from touchdownalabama.com:

Hey all,
In regards to what happened yesterday with Siran Stacy and his family, a fund is being established at Wachovia Bank in Dothan to assist the Stacy family.

Contributions can be sent to:
The Siran Stacy Fund
PO Box 892
Geneva, Al. 36340.

Send Siran your support via flowers, get-well cards, etc. Send the cards to:

Flowers Hospital
4370 West Main St
Dothan, Al 36305

Thank you for your continued support for Siran through this truly troubling time.

Update [2007-11-20 15:31:8 by Todd]:
We'll keep this at the top of the page all day. If anyone comes across any more information, please let us know in the comments.

[editor's note, by Nico]
I know some people don't pay a lot of attention to the diaries section, but this certainly merits being put on the front page:

======

Incredibly sad news out of Dothan:

"A van driven by former University of Alabama football star Siran Stacy was struck by a pickup at an intersection and six people were killed, including Stacy's wife and four of his children, state troopers said Tuesday."

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Stacy_Fatal_Wreck.html

Stacy himself is listed in stable condition in surgical intensive care.

Please keep he and his family in your prayers this week. We all have very fond memories of watching Stacy run, I'm sure.

Faith, trust, and optimism.

turnover — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:24:42 -0000

Last season, against Tennessee. Late in the first half, fourth-and-goal from inside the one. Alabama, if I remember correctly, began the game as twelve point underdogs.

There was some deliberation. It was very clear the the offense wanted to stay on the field. And who could blame them? What did they really have to lose? Barring an incredible play on the part of the Vol defense, the worst case scenario would likely have been Alabama turning the ball over on downs inside the Tennessee three yard line.

The deliberation didn't last long. Within seconds, Mike Shula had lost me for good. What's worse, he had lost the team. (Someone who had attended the game wrote in these pages of seeing the offense return to the sideline disgusted, avoiding their coach and throwing helmets to the turf.) With his decision to kick the chip-shot field goal, Shula demonstrated his lack of belief in his team. To some extent, he demonstrated his lack of belief in himself.

Let's contrast the above episode with one from last Saturday.

Fourth and five with four minutes and change, Alabama at the Arkansas 35 or so, down by seven. Decision time. By his own account, Saban turns to his defense - which had of course been bowed and battered for the better part of the second half - and asks if they feel as though they can get a stop. "Can you get us the ball back?" To a man, the defense answers in the affirmative. And out goes the field goal unit.

Field goal good, defense does get the stop, the offense executes an almost-perfect two minute drive, Alabama wins by three.

Saban believed in his team. He knew that if they reached deep they were capable of winning that ball game. He trusted those young men, and they trusted him.

That's coaching. That's mentoring. That is what has been lacking from the Alabama program for far too long.

It is because of this that there is very good reason to be highly optimistic in the weeks, months, and years ahead. Will Alabama win the SEC West this season? Likely not. But will they lay a foundation for success that can be readily built upon in the coming years? Absolutely.

For far too long it has seemed as though the Alabama football program rested precariously on a bed of sand. What seems to be happening now though is the construction of a new program built upon solid bedrock. And there's no reason in the world not to feel good about that.

Roll Tide.