The National College Championship game on Monday night was disappointing. I would like to say something wise and gracious, but I am not sure there is anything I can say that would fit those two criteria.
I am an avid Alabama fan and have been for all of my adult life. My Son and Daughter in Law met while attending the University of Alabama and were married in Tuscaloosa. I now have two Granddaughters who are students there, so my personal interest is more than ever.
I think I first became acutely aware of Alabama football, when I lived in Huntsville, AL in 1970. We only lived there a year and when you think about what an influence it has had on my life, that is quite amazing.
I learned that when you moved to Alabama the question of “who ya’ for?” Is frequently asked. Yes, you have to choose a side. Alabama or Auburn? At that time, Bear coached Alabama so it seemed that ‘Bama was the obvious choice for me. We would watch the games, but most influential was watching the Bear Bryant show on Sunday morning. Bear would review the game and sell Golden Flake ‘Tater chips. Bear seemed like a Grandfather type, often forgetting the players names and just referring to a player as “our guy”. The show was folksy and a must see.
Since then I have read numerous books about Bear and football, including “Coach” and “The Junction Boys” and realize that maybe early on, I was more a Bear fan than a football fan.
When my son was a Freshman, we attended most of the Alabama home games and I had never experienced that much energy at a sports event. It was a few months in time that cemented my love of College Ball and the SEC. I can still close my eyes and feel the excitement of Bryant Denny Stadium. I wish I had seen a game when the Bear coached. Even though during that time ‘Bama did not win a National Title, it was still easy to cheer for them.
There have been seasons that were magical and also those that were disappointing, but every Fall I am ready to pull out my “lucky” Alabama shirts and be the fanatical fan.
This year was no different. Of course, my sons, their Dad, my Daughter in Law, my brother and my Daddy are Alabama Fans, so it is a family thing and we are all passionate about it. Maybe some more than others, but you can be sure, at game time, I have a lot of family cheering on the Tide.
The game Monday night was a heart breaker. I do not feel like Clemson won, but more like Alabama lost. They just could not seem to get their heads (and their feet) in the right place. There were a couple of times, I thought the refs missed pass interference calls that might have made a difference, but in the end probably not.
I was impressed by Nick Saban’s comments after the game “one game doesn’t define who you are. But I also told the players that sometimes we learn more when things don’t go well, when we lose. You have to learn how to lose as well as how you win. And there’s a lot of lessons for us to learn from the experience that we had in this game…”
When you look at ‘Bama’s season and what they accomplished, there are takeaways for all of us. And for loyal ‘Bama fans, it is just a bump in the road. Next fall it starts over. Second place is not the end of the world.
I was reminded of the Andy Griffith comedy routine “What is was was football”. My Daddy has the original 45 rpm record which he has had as long as I can remember. It was always a family favorite and I found it on You Tube and listened to it last night. I still laugh out loud. And it puts football games in perspective.
If you have never heard it, I encourage you to listen to it.
And my final thoughts on the game (to paraphrase Andy Griffith) football is where a bunch of men take a little pumpkin and try to run from one end of that cow pasture to the other without getting knocked down or stepping in something.
Well, Bama, maybe you “got knocked down and stepped in something” Monday night, but wipe off your shoes, I will be there with the ‘Bama loyal fans to cheer you on next season.
Love and Peace…
And Roll Tide!!
Linda
Musings of This Old Girl 