Take a Good Hard Look While You Can...

Alabama Football Coach, Mike Shula

A handful of people out there know that I generally eat, breathe, drink, and sweat Crimson during football season. I am sure others have no clue about this.

This year's been different, though, owing to a couple of distractions that have sapped the energy I normally reserve for all things pigskin. Those things are out of the way now, and so I'm working to get back in the Bama groove.

Shula's makin' it mighty tough, though.

I grew up when Alabama dominated the world of college football, and my first Fantasy Husband was Johnny Musso, a fantasy I shared with thousands of other girls raised on the gridiron. Every girl wanted to marry him; every guy wanted to be him; and even today I can get a smile on my face remembering that what I loved most about him wasn't his looks -- it was that he was a winner on a winning team.

It's less fun to sit here now on a Saturday night saying things like, "We shoulda won that ballgame" or "We are going to be so great next year." The truth is, we well may be. We have a really great new quarterback, and a promising defensive line, and a coming-along-nicely offensive line as well. These young men -- each of which to whom I could have given birth -- have mostly exhibited great class in the games they knew they were losing, and really, what's more noble than that?

Winning may not be more noble, but it is more fun. There. I said it.

I am one of a small handful of the Alabama faithful who believe that NO MATTER WHAT -- even if we lose again to that other football team in November -- we have got to stick with our coach. Sadly, that handful will likely be overruled by the Powers That Be who can't tolerate a losing season, and who define a losing season as one in which you lose to Auburn. Again.

I'll be sad to see Shula go. He's so much fun just to stare at. But more than that, I'll admit I will be very disappointed in the decision-makers for not giving this team time to grow together into greatness.