Four weeks in and things look pretty good...

Well, its been four weeks of games in the college football season and stuff seems to be going pretty well in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is 3-1 when they could have been 4-0 or 2-2 (if Shula was still coach). After allowing 28 points given up to Arkansas to give them the lead late in the game, Bama comes back to win with mere seconds left with a touchdown pass to Caddell. The defense could not stop the running back duo of Arkansas until the last series (granted McFadden didn't play the last series).

However, last weekend Alabama lost to a better team in Georgia. But, they showed something that has been lacking in Tuscaloosa for several years. While Georgia was a the better team, Alabama played them close and could have come out on top pretty easily. They played up to a better team and gave them a run for their money.

This loss was probably better for Alabama than a win. Why? Well, sportswriters and fans suddenly had heightened expectations. Some were talking about being 8-0 when LSU comes to town. Some were even talking 14-0 with a 13th national championship. This got those peoples unreal expectations out the clouds and back down to earth. Alabama still has some work to do. They don't have the talent to play with the top 5 teams in the nation week in and week out. However, we are well on our way to getting back to that place again.

The other team in the state (for those who cannot discern what I am talking about ask me sometime) is not playing too well. They are now 2-2 with losses to South Florida and Mississippi State which should have been pretty easy wins. But those fans puffed out their chests that 'they are back'. Well, that has yet to be seen. At halftime, they were only up 21-20 on New Mexico State (another cupcake). Plus they have some big games against at Florida, at LSU, and at Arkansas. So, unless things turn around I see possibly a 7-5 record at the end of the regular season.

Notre Dame. What else can I say. They are 0-4 with little signs of life and the urgent need for a team period. They are seriously looking at losing the first 8 games. After those first 8 games, they have Navy, Air Force, Duke and Stanford. Well, typically Navy, Air Force and Duke would be considered easy, cupcake games but with this team those games are not easy games and could be nail biters. Possibly, at best, this team could be 3-9 at the end of the season.

Better than Ezra at the House of Blues - Sept 14, 2007

Well, I have been a Better Than Ezra fan for a very long time. I saw them live for the first time a few years ago at Bayfest in Mobile. I have wanted to see them again for a while but the real 'itch' started a few months ago. I saw a concert scheduled in Baton Rouge and was planning to go until Doug told me about a concert at the House of Blues in New Orleans, which is much closer.

So, we decided to make a go of it.

Here are some photos of my visit to New Orleans.

Stopped in Waveland, MS and this is two pictures of destruction from over 2 years ago still.Driving into the city I snapped this picture.
Random pictures taken while driving around trying to get to the hotel.


After eating at Pierre Antiones in the French Quarter, I walked down this alley towards Jackson Square to get access to St. Louis Cathedral.

Here are some photos from inside the Cathedral.

Then, obviously, I need a photo of me in front of the Cathedral.
Statue of Major General Andrew Jackson in Jackson Square.
Photo looking back from Jackson square on the statue and St. Louis Cathedral.
Obligatory photo of me, Jackson and the Cathedral.
Photo of the playbill for the House of Blues showing Better Than Ezra for Sept. 14, 2007.
After picking up the tickets, here is a photo from the hotel room showing that General Lee was our protector.
They warned me that the use of a camera during the show would result in me being thrown out, but I had this photo taken after the show while they were breaking down to show that I was indeed there.
The next morning after the show, I snapped this photo of General Lee. The sunlight in the morning was much better at illuminating the side of the statue facing the hotel.
We went to Cafe du Monde across from Jackson Square for Beignets for our breakfast. So, I went up the stairs across from Jackson Square towards the Moon Walk to snap a morning picture of Jackson Square and the Cathedral.
Photo of the horse drawn carriages that are at Jackson Square. They offer tours of the French Quarter, cemeteries and such.
Here is a photo of a building damaged from storm surge and flooding.
An exit from I10 that has been closed since the storm. Its very creepy.
The trip was awesome. New Orleans was great and I cannot wait until I visit again. The concert was superb. While the House of Blues was a fairly cramped space, it was very nice and intimate. I was out on the floor with a lot of people but I wasn't cramped. The only complaint I had was the middle aged woman behind me who was smoking cigarette after cigarette.

Kevin, Tom, and Travis put on one hell of a show and their chemistry and talent show through the concert. If you have not seen them live, its a must see show. If they were to play HOB again next weekend, I would SOOO be there!

Now, how could I not post a couple pictures of Thor while I was at it.
Here he is with his head underneath my pillow.
Again he was asleep on my bed and he woke up when I moved to snap this photo. All he did was open his eyes, not movement. Oh, what a hard life this dog has.

Ken Burns, The War

I attended the free preview of Ken Burns latest documentary entitled 'The War'. They focus on four towns (including Mobile) and how they changed during the course of World War II. But the main focus is the people from those towns. They interviewed many people for the documentary.

It was a very stunning mix of clips that was very touching. At times you had the audience clapping at something in the film, then other times you could see people shaking their heads or drying their eyes. It will be a very poignant series to watch as it airs on PBS. It is a 14.5 hour documentary that will be aired on Sunday nights starting September 23rd. For the schedule you can visit PBS here. For more information about 'The War' at the PBS website, visit the link here.

The DVD of this documentary will be available October 2nd, presumably at Books-A-Million. It will contain 15.5hrs of film plus some extras such as deleted scenes and interview outtakes. You can pre-order it from PBS here which is good because a portion of the proceeds goes to help fund public television.

College Football Week 2

Well, two weeks into the season and I’m happy with the direction Alabama is going. They are playing with an attention to detail that they haven’t had in several seasons. The receivers are throwing blocks down field for other receivers and running backs. The special teams are doing good too with long returns and good blocking.

I know they haven’t played a team of the caliber of LSU or Florida but Vanderbilt is not your typical Vanderbilt team of the last 10 or 15 years. They have some big play makers, a good defense, and a hunger to be better.

Our offensive line is strong. John Parker Wilson is throwing the ball well and spreading it around to many different players. Plus our Freshman running back has rushed for over 100 yards in the first two games including some long runs like the run to start the Western Carolina game for a TD.

No one thought in the pre-season that Michigan would be winless in their first two home games. Especially, a loss to former division I-AA Appalachian State (they renamed the division to something else). Notre Dame on the other hand was a prediction I gave before the season and not to rile up Vicki. They lost a lot of talent and I don’t know how long its going to be before they are back to the level of play they had last season.

They have a bad offensive line and have a hard time moving the ball consistently. Their defense is on the field too long and has a hard time getting pressure on the quarterback. They are starting a freshman at quarterback after using all three quarterbacks last week against Georgia Tech.

Auburn played a very sloppy game against Kansas State and didn’t deserve to the win but you have to hand it to them for pulling it out. But during the week, I told people to watch out for a possible upset on the plains when South Florida comes knocking. South Florida played them very tough and had several chances to win the game in regulation. But their placekicker missed 3 field goals and had a fourth blocked, but he came through when it mattered most.

In the overtime period, Auburn gained only 2 yards on a run that was followed by two incomplete passes and settled for a field goal. But South Florida had some deception still to pull. After a couple play action runs by the quarterback and running back, they finally put the ball up in the air for a 14 yard TD pass to end the game. So, Auburn falls out of the AP and Coaches Top 25 with this loss.

Next week, Alabama hosts Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Auburn hosts Mississippi State and Notre Dame travels to Michigan for the battle of the winless teams. I guess the good thing to say about this game is that at least one team will come out with a win.

Blogging absence

I know, I know, I haven’t written in a while. Well, a few weeks ago I met Matt and a couple of his friends to go to the Molly Ringwalds show at the Soul Kitchen. It was an extremely good show.

A good friend of mine and my mom’s passed away last week so I traveled up for the funeral. Aubrey was a very good person, he offered to help mom and myself on many occasions. He would help do things from plumbing, door installation, and brakes. When mom had a horse, she kept it at his house. They used to go to the flea market together on weekends. He was a very good friend to us, parent to his daughters and grand children. Aubrey is going to be missed.

Yesterday was kickoff for BEST this year and it went very well. Big Joe Duke’s explanation of the rules was really good, and for those who missed it, please refer to the rules 4.1.1 and 4.1.2 for this years competition. Scoring will be much more simple than last years competition, but compliance check-in will still have the same complexity. I attended the wiring meeting after the kit distribution and feel it will be very helpful. Because I was in there I was not able help load the field onto the truck, for which I’m sorry about that.