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YouTube's awash with all sorts of video montages in tribute to my beloved Tide's perfect season. But I love everything about this.

And by outsider I don't just mean someone from Kentucky or even New York. I'm talking about a British TV personality traveling the US for a series on grassroots America. This show is geared for a British audience so he doesn't actually delve into the off-the-field rivalry or even into the football itself. He's just amazed at the scope and the pagentry of the stadium experience itself.

Thanks to my boss for passing this along.

It was a fun ride while it lasted, but I guess I'll have to resume my normal life in the evenings once again now that the Olympics are over.

I've always enjoyed the Olympics to some extent, but I've never been as hopelessly addicted to the event as I was over the last two weeks. From the time I got home until the time I went to sleep it was usually on the TV (even if I wasn't always watching it directly while playing with the girls.) Likewise when I got into the office, it was streaming on my phone so I could watch/listen in the background while I worked.

I don't know what it was, but there was just something about this year's games that drew me in. Perhaps it was as much about me as it was the games themselves. I've been so busy of late that any world offering a bit of escapism was a welcome respite. And knowing that I could rely on a steady dose of this therapy over the course of two weeks made it all the more intoxicating. These Olympics really got their hooks into me from the start (even though I didn't even see the amazing opening ceremony.) Water polo, rowing, 'pursuit' biking, doubles badminton, diving, volleyball, etc. I was watching things I'd never ordinarily watch and loving every minute of it.

But it's time to shift gears now and get back into the normal swing of things. Football season is now on deck and cooler weather is just around the corner.

Well that's certainly something you don't see everyday.

It's always weird when some of your interests (for me, UA sports and severe weather) collide in unexpected ways.

And for the record, Alabama lost a close game in overtime after an hour long weather delay . . . inside a dome.

I finally got around to watching the much ballyhooed slam dunk contest from the NBA All-Star weekend. It definitely was one of the most creative dunk contests in many years (which you have to respect as there's only so many ways you can dunk after awhile.)

But I'll NEVER forget the 1988 contest. In addition to a great cast including Clyde Drexler and Spud Webb, it featured the highly anticipated rematch between two of the greatest dunkers of all-time in Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins.

I was a HUGE Dominque fan and still think he got robbed. Jordan had performed his contest-winning freethrow line dunk much better the previous year (and actually took off from the line AND made it on the first attempt, unlike this time.) Ironically, I thought Jordan's lowest scoring dunk was his most impressive. Meanwhile, Dominque's first and last dunks were two of the greatest I've ever seen. The poster of the first was a feature on my bedroom wall for many years. But the contest was in Chicago so the outcome didn't really come as a shock. As a gracious Dominque said, "If anybody's going to beat me, I'd rather have it be him."

As I sit here casually watching the Daytona 500, I find myself enjoying the commercials as much as the race itself. And as I noticed the name of the series, the Nextel Cup (formerly the Winston Cup) has now evolved into the Sprint Cup it made me think back to this great old Nextel commercial.

Granted, this is regarding something related to Pac10 football (and Cal-Berkeley at that) where the atmosphere is certainly quite a bit different than what we're accustomed to in my neck of the woods. But perhaps that less zealous following allows for them to experiment with things you'd likely never see at a halftime show here in the Deep South.

Anyway, I was reading through Gizmodo when I came across this post talking about Cal's recent halftime show. If you're an old-school video game junkie you'll appreciate this.

Like a lot of kids who grew up in the 80s I was a huge NBA fan.

Besides the usual childhood appeal of sports though, it was also a matter of timing. The 80s ushered in the start of a golden era of such magnitude for the league that for the next 1.5 decades the NBA often rivaled the NFL in terms of cultural awareness. With two star-laden dynasties battling it out for supremacy each year (three if you count the Pistons of the late 80s), as well as a league full of charismatic players it was easy to see the appeal. It was competitive and entertaining with star power of the highest order (and major TV coverage to boot.)

As the league transitioned from the Lakers/Celtics/Pistons-led era of the 80s to the Bulls-dominated era of the 90s, the exposure ramped up even more as the greatest player of all time took center stage. I was still a fan during much of this era. But the total dominance of Jordan and the Bulls eventually left me feeling a bit cold toward the league. I didn't dislike Jordan or the Bulls. I think dynasties are good for sports. People need something to champion (or pull against.) But I also think it's FAR more engaging when a dynasty has a worthy rival to create drama. Other than the occasional Rockets or Jazz team, the Bulls did not have that consistent counterbalance throughout their great run. And because Jordan and the Bulls absorbed so much of the limelight it never allowed for a new generation of personalities to gain a cultural following like you had in the 80s. This is what eventually led to the massive dropoff in the league's profile in the post-Jordan era.

And even though the league has made tremendous strides in recent years, it's a problem the NBA is still trying to overcome. That's why I've personally found the TV spots for the NBA 'Amazing' campaign to be so compelling. Rather than trying to be too hip of flashy, the simple elegance of the spots remind me of a time when the league was exactly that - a league people cared about because of the personalities and the competition. The SportsCenter snapshot view of the world we're now accustomed to desensitizes these aspects. It's refreshing to see a more simplistic summation of the game.

I've been known to do 3 hours worth of work in a short amount of time at the office on occasion - when somebody needs something at the last second (granted it'll be a little sloppy.) But this time I'm talking about something far more important. Football.

Now that the season is upon us I'm gobbling up every moment of it I can find on TV (much to my wife's chagrin.) College, pros. Whatever. I'm usually not this bad, but for some reason I'm just glad it's on TV again. Football is just far and away the ultimate TV sport with its hard hitting action, the replays, the multiple camera angles, etc. Yes, there are brief pauses in between plays just like in baseball. But unlike baseball, they can usually fill that void with a quick replay of the previous play's action. It's hard to do that with the dime-a-dozen strike/ball. As a result, I've always found baseball quite boring to watch on TV (even though I always thoroughly enjoy the in-park experience.)

But last year I discovered something that I plan to put to full use this year. If you have a DVR or Tivo with a 30-second skip button you can record (or pause and time-shift a game) and watch a complete 3-hr game in roughly 30 minutes without missing a single snap. On average, from the end of the action on one play to the time the ball is reset and snapped is a little over 30 seconds (the NFL can sometimes be a bit faster to reset.) So as soon as one play is dead simply skip ahead 30 seconds and you're instantly watching the snap of the next play. Since most plays only take about 4-5 seconds to complete you can quickly breeze through the raw action. Granted, you lose a lot of the subtext and nuances that come with watching the real-time action. Penalties, injuries, etc. But for quick and dirty viewing of a game you don't want to dedicate 3-hours of your life towards it can't be beat. It certainly works well for SportsCenter.

I was surprised they managed it so easily, but I was glad to see my favorite NBA team, the San Antonio Spurs, win their 4th NBA title in 9 years tonight.

They're an under-appreciated dynasty because:

• They're in a small market that's not on the East Coast where you get more media coverage by default.
  
• Their star player (the greatest power forward ever) is a quiet guy who goes about his business and doesn't seek media attention. In fact their whole team isn't flashy. They're often described as playing a 'boring' brand of basketball because of it. They don't rely on a Kobe or Lebron or Jordan to carry them to victory every night. They beat you as a team with role players often being the deciding factor.
  
• They spread out their wins over a number of years instead of stringing together their championships in successive years. They may have only had one squad (in 2005) that could have gone toe-to-toe with some of the other great dynasties of the last 30 years. But in some ways, their constant success over such a long period is more impressive since it shows an ability to thrive in spite of personnel changes.
  

All of the reasons above (coupled with the fact that I was a huge David Robinson fan because of his character) are reasons I've come to pull for the Spurs over the years. Their run may be coming to an end (then again they could still pull it off over the next couple years) but they've already established themselves as one of the great dynasties in basketball history.

A recent sports anecdote serves as a good reminder of why you might want to be careful about what you say online . . .

One of my favorite players of all time did it again last night. While it wasn't quite up to his usual heroics (there were still 30 seconds left on the clock and they were already up by one point) Robert Horry stole the ball and then a few moments later hit a clutch 3-pointer to put a dagger in the Nuggets. The Spurs are now up 3-1 in the series.

I won't be overzealous though and say the Nuggets playoff hopes are now completely finished. I don't want to make a fool of myself like Felix Gillette did a few years ago when he posted an article criticizing Horry's reputation as a great clutch player. The article itself was meant to take a controversial stand against a well-established reputation to try and provoke controversy (and readership) - not exactly a new tactic in sports journalism. But unfortunately for Gillette he just happened to pick the exact wrong time to make that argument.

Later that day, Horry went on to perform probably the greatest clutch performance I've ever seen. The Spurs were down 3-1 in the NBA finals playing game 5 at Detroit with the Pistons dominating the previous two games. Horry had scored only a couple points throughout the first three quarters. But with time running out in the 3rd quarter, he hit a 3-pointer that would serve as the opening volley of an incredible finale. From that moment on he took over the game - grabbing rebounds, nabbing steals and putting up a total of 21 points, including a 3-pointer in overtime with the clock winding down to seal the win. The Spurs went on to win the NBA title at home two games later. But that game (and Horry's clutch performance) were clearly the turning point in the series.

Video of Horry's Game 5 Peformance


Needless to say, Gillette had a lot of egg on his face after that article. As an Horry fan, I found it extremely amusing. But I actually don't begrudge Gillette's right to take a seemingly controversial stance like that. The difference of opinion is what often makes discussion engaging and interesting.

But the memory of the internet is virtually permanent. Much of what you say online can often be traced back to you with minimal effort. For most people, that may not seem like a cause for concern. Many people feel comfortable that there's a safe disconnect between the online and offline worlds. But I've unfortunately seen first-hand how a person's online posting history in things like forums, blogs, etc. can impact them in the real world by serving as a roadblock that keeps them form landing a job (that didn't happen to me by the way, but a prospective candidate I once helped interview.)

I guess that's one of the many reasons you'll never see me posting about anything too controversial, political, etc. And not just here, but on any blog or open forum. Plus, I'm just not that kind of person. Most people will tell you that I'm a fairly mellow guy. I enjoy posting my random thoughts on here, but that's just about the chance to stretch my writing legs a little, not any sense of narcissism. Despite the fact that I market websites for a living I could care less if more than a few dozen of my closest friends and family members ever see this site. And if anybody with an axe to grind ever does happen to come across it, I'll hopefully give them very little reason to validate their opinion.

And no I'm not just talking about the 92,000+ that turned out for the A-day game in Tuscaloosa to see their first glimpses of Nick Saban.

I'm talking about the crowds that seemed to be showing up in record numbers at the Barber Motorsports Park for the Honda Superbike Classic. I'll be curious to see what the official attendance figures for Saturday were, but it certainly seemed more crowded than the previous years I attended (although I was unable to go last year.)

I don't own a motorcycle. I don't plan to ever own a motorcycle. But this three-day event is a blast and combines the best of the tailgating world with the twist of a different type of crowd gathering to watch a completely different form of sport. I realize it's not for everybody, but I really enjoy it. And I'm proud to have such a world-class facility so close to home.

I know Barber (and a lot of people) would love to eventually land a MotoGP event here. MotoGP is basically the Formula 1 of motorbike racing with only one track in the U.S. (Laguna Seca in California) good enough to host a MotoGP in the last 13 years - and they've only been able to land that since 2005. If Birmingham could eventually land a MotoGP event that would be a major coup. And it sounds like we have a high enough caliber track to get it. Barber and (particularly) our local politicians just need to get on the same page first. For the time being though, adding a World Superbike competition (not just American Superbike) looks more attainable.

And then of course there's the little matter of 150,000+ people that will be out in full force at Talladega next weekend. I've yet to attend one of these events, but I really would like to go at some point. I'm just hoping the offer from a certain family member (who's a Budweiser distributor in MT and occasionally has access to Budweiser's facilities at Talladega) still stands. If I've got to go, I might as well go in style. :)

And as long as I'm on the subject, there's plans to develop a major racing facility somewhere in the Mobile/Baldwin-county area. While the main oval track would be significantly smaller than the superspeedway at Talladega they are also planning to put in a major road course (as well as several other racing and entertainment facilities.) Add this to Talladega and Barber and that's not too shabby for our little state.

And I'm not talking about the experience. Well, not directly anyway.

I'm talking about the food. Seriously. I don't know what it is, but whenever I'm at a sporting event I always get a major craving for hot dogs and nachos (and beer if available.) And I guess it's just the heightened sense of awareness and enjoyment from being at a major sporting event, but those items always seem to taste infinitesimally better in those surroundings.

The hot dog I had at Coleman Coliseum last night was the best I've had since . . . . . well my last hot dog at Bryant-Denny stadium. The fact that I'm paying close to $4.00 for a hot dog I'd ordinarily pay only $1.85 for is beside the point. It's worth 10x that amount! And if I were at a major pro sports game I'd probably be paying that amount. However, even though I'm not a huge baseball fan I've always maintained that one of the sporting events I'd most like to attend would be a midweek Cubs game at Wrigley field. I think that might just about be nirvana in this context.

It's possibly even more pronounced when it comes to golf as I crave these things not only as a spectator but as a player. If I'm out playing a round of golf, nothing seems to complete the experience more. And what do I look forward to almost as much as the golf itself whenever I go to the Regions Charity Classic (formerly Bruno's Memorial Classic) each year? The hospitality tent. All the free hot dogs and beer you could possibly want. If I didn't think it to be in poor taste I'd just pull my chair up to the buffet table and put Kobayashi to shame.

This Pavlovian response is so ingrained in my psyche now that I can't fight it. It doesn't matter if I just ate a full slab of ribs washed down with a big baked potato and a carton of ice cream. I'm GOING to eat that hot dog no matter what the cost! Fortunately, I've learned to plan ahead for this weakness and no longer eat before I go to these events so I can save room for those little links of heaven.

It seemed like I sneezed (because I was sick half the week) and suddenly all the build-up for Christmas and the New Year flew right by. We had a great time, but our household is just so on-the-go during the holiday week that we don’t get a chance to really soak it all in. The music is back to normal. The decorations are gone. The holiday lights have all gone down.

And perhaps most depressing of all (as it’s just now sinking in) the college football season is almost over. However, at least Alabama fans now have the next eight months to wildly speculate about how good our team will be thanks to the introduction of Nick Saban as coach (as if our fans needed any additional incentive to speculate.)

I felt sort of bad for Mark Gottfried today. The man has taken our basketball program to new heights and has assembled possibly the most talented squad in school history. After the way this football season went a lot of more casual fans were likely going to hop on-board the basketball bandwagon for escapism. However, you’d barely know the basketball program even exists after the entire state came to a standstill to witness the coronation of Saban earlier this morning. I kept hoping Gottfried might streak the press conference as a publicity stunt.

Maybe it's just as well though. The bandwagon fans are also the most fickle. And the fact that he doesn’t get as much scrutiny is probably one of the more attractive aspects to the job as a career. Job security is a rare thing for football and basketball coaches at major universities these days and Gottfried currently has an ample supply of it.

I can't wait to go to the Arkansas game next week.

In spite of what I'm about to say (and in spite of an early U.S. exit) I'm thoroughly enjoying watching the World Cup. Even though I played soccer for most of my childhood and teen years, I don't follow the sport that closely on the professional level. So it's been nice to have it take center stage (relatively speaking) for a brief period and to see the passion of the game taken to an even greater level.

But there's one aspect of the game at this level of international play that's really off-putting, even to a former player such as myself - the flopping.

Growing up, I never really experienced this portion of the 'gamesmanship' of soccer, at least on any widespread level. I don't know why, but it just never occurred to us to bother trying. Maybe it was part naivety, part cultural upbringing. But if you got hit, you picked yourself up immediately, continued playing and let the ref decide whether or not it was a valid foul. Or you were either genuinely hurt and stayed down (although you still did your best to pick yourself up and keep going in spite of the pain.)

With that mindset and background considered, it's more than a little disappointing to see extremely talented athletes cheapening an otherwise excellent game with their constant dives and over exaggeration of any minor physical contact. It even goes a step further at this level complete with supporting actors when you factor in the trainers and medics. They rush onto the field with the stretcher while the guy pretends to be in agony. Then they cart him off the field, give him a sip of water and suddenly he's off streaking down the field again 20 seconds later as if nothing ever happened (because it never did.)

What's sad is that it actually works too. The refs constantly award fouls based on these flops. So it's no wonder that the players continue to drop like flies anytime a defender gets within 10 yards of them.

This won't happen, but I'd personally like to see them counter this by placing another ref on the field (maybe even 2 more, in addition to the linesmen) to have more eyes covering the field and to take less pressure off the main referee. Stop rewarding the floppers with penalties and maybe even start yellow-carding them outright when it's a particularly egregious fake.

It's a cultural thing and I know people from other parts of the world would likely think this perspective is ridiculous as it's an accepted part of the game elsewhere. But if a former player such as myself has a problem with this, I can only imagine what non-soccer fans here in the U.S. must think whenever they watch a game. It definitely won't do anything to help rectify the common American belief that soccer is a 'nancy boy' sport when you have guys faking a broken ankle because they could feel the breath from an opposing defender.