Alabama Fires Shula: Wise Move?

I'm not a 'Bama fan by any stretch of the imagination. But I'm not anti-Bama either. I didn't start pulling for Tennessee until the UT-Bama rivalry was already eclipsed by the annual Vol-Gator brawl. But I'm intrigued by the drama coming out of Tuscaloosa. The rumors are flying that a big-name coach (initials S.S.) had already verbally committed before they pulled the plug on Shula.

What do you think about the Shula firing?
A. 'Bout time. Shula was in over his head.
B. It's official: the idiots are in charge in Tuscaloosa.
C. Time will tell. Let's see how this plays out.

Pat Forde from ESPN.com doesn't mince any words when he writes:

"And then there is the cuckoo's nest known as Alabama. Irrational passion and general delusion don't just drive the bus at Alabama. They drive the wheels off it like Dale Earnhardt. The Crimson Tide went from being in love with Mike Shula last year when he went 10-2 to firing him this year after he went 6-6. ...Then again, we probably shouldn't be surprised. This is, after all, Alabama. The unpardonable sin was Shula's 0-4 record against Auburn, but that still doesn't make this the right move at the right time for a program craving stability.

Don't look now, but lordly Alabama has become the single biggest burnout job in college football. The Tide's next coach will be the eighth in the last 25 years and the fifth this century. Nobody -- not even the bottom-feeding, revolving-door, dead-end schools like SMU, UNLV, UTEP, Utah State, San Jose State and so forth -- has gone through five coaches as fast as Alabama.

Since Bear Bryant ascended directly into heaven on a dazzling white cloud, surrounded by a host of angels, the program flux has been ongoing. Only Gene Stallings has coached more than four years in Tuscaloosa without fleeing or being fired. Stallings lasted seven seasons in the 1990s, which now makes him look like Joe Paterno in terms of permanence.

Between the stability of Stallings and the turbulence of today, Alabama has been slammed with NCAA sanctions for buying an overweight, underproductive defensive lineman; scandalized by the indiscretions of first Mike DuBose, then Mike Price; dumped by Dennis Franchione, who convinced his players to "hold the rope" through probation but couldn't wait to drop it himself; and now it has fired the alum who helped drag the program through the toughest part of its penalty phase.

Somebody find the prestige in that recent run."

We can't, Pat, we can't.

Confusing Style and Substance...

I'm not sure he was at aiming at this demographic, but it sure made me laugh to think of many of my reformed brothers (and their churches) when I saw this great cartoon by Joe McKeever:



Joe has a real gift for communicating through words and images. Check out his website at www.joemckeever.com

Both Thumbs Up for Grisham's Baseball Movie

John Grisham knows how to weave a great story. Mickey (2004) is no exception. Starring Harry Connick, Jr. and Shawn Salinas, this warm drama centers around little league baseball but is really about parenting, integrity, and restitution.

Tripp Spence (Connick, Jr.) is an attorney whose about to be caught by the "bad guys," aka the I.R.S. A recent widower, Spence made the unwise choice to cut some corners on his taxes to help dig out of a mountain of debt incurred by his late wife's medical treatments. As a single father of a very talented young pitcher, played by Shawn Salinas, the two assume new looks and identities and move west in an attempt to evade the law.

In a new city with a new identity, Spence, now known as Glenn Ryan, immediately manipulates the system to assure his pitching ace son, "Mickey," a spot on the best team in the district, the mighty Moose. Mickey dominates the league, wowing everyone with his amazing heat. Problem is, Glenn and Mickey have a little secret. 12-year old Mickey is really 13-yr.-old Derrick. The tension builds during the post-season as "Mickey" leads the local all-star team to greater heights with a date in Williamsport (Little League World Series) as a increasingly realistic dream. Meanwhile, Agent Seeger of the I.R.S. is increasingly hot on the trail of the zealous baseball Dad.

Wanting to avoid a true spoiler, I'll leave the rest for your enjoyment. The acting is good, especially the character actors. Mike Starr is fantastic as the coach and Mark Joy does a great job of portraying Agent Seeger as human.

One very satisfying aspect of this film is that it avoids falling into the cut and dried, black and white, good guys/bad guys, us vs. them mentality. You find yourself liking and sympathizing with the main characters even though the father has committed a crime and together, father and son, are cheating. In most Hollywood movies, agent Seeger would be a sinister, evil, vindictive bad guy. But Grisham paints him as human and simply doing his job.

One thing I noticed very early in the film is that these young men really know how to play baseball. Grisham and director Hugh Wilson both decided to go with ballplayers whom they would teach to act rather than vice versa. Their plan worked. But to be fair, Salinas was already an actor and the catcher, played by Alexander Roos, only happens to be the son of longtime Hollywood producer Fred Roos (Godfather Trilogy).

A low-budget movie, the producers (Grisham and Wilson) did most of the filming in close to their homes in Virginia. They get away with it save one exception. A few scenes in which Shawn is supposed to be playing in Las Vegas are glaringly green. What I mean by that is that there are too many trees. Vegas is desert and a lush green landscape is hard to overlook for anyone with an ounce of critical thinking. They bring in a few palm trees (still in their pots!) but you won't be fooled. The amazing thing is that in his commentary on the film, Wilson says he doesn't think anyone would notice. Wishful thinking at best.

Hollywood said no to this film, so Grisham and Wilson financed the film themselves as a labor of love. Look for bit roles by Grisham and Wilson. If you get the DVD, make sure you watch the interviews by these two as well. And if you really have some time, watch it again with the commentary by Wilson turned on.

Finally, this movie is a great baseball movie. As I mentioned before, it's primarily about parenting and ethics, but baseball lovers won't be disappointed. There is plenty of baseball. If you love little league, then this flick is for you.

I highly recommend Mickey. Find it and rent it or buy it.

The Big Game

The game of the century will live up to billing.

Tomorrow's final score will be:

Michigan 23
Ohio State 21

Michigan wins on a 38-yd. FG as time expires.
The ghost of Bo Schembechler smiles.

Best Sports By State

BASKETBALL
High School: Illinois (the original "March Madness")
College: North Carolina (Duke, UNC, Wake, NC State, Charlotte, Wilmington, Asheville)
Best College Conference: ACC

FOOTBALL
High School: Texas ("Friday Night Lights")
College: Florida (Miami, Florida State, Florida, UCF, USF)
Best College Conference: SEC

BASEBALL
High School: California (the greatest place to recruit outside of Latin America)
College: California (too many to name)
Best College Conference: Pac-10 (the Big West Conference, not a BCS conference by any stretch of the imagination is a powerhouse baseball conference, with 5 national championships in the past 30 years; but, they play second fiddle to the mighty Pac-10 which has won 19 in the past 50 years, including the reigning Oregon State Beavers.)

What do you think? Disagree with any of my choices? Present your case.

From the Mouth of a 4-Yr.-Old...

Every parent can identify. My son says some things that I refuse to correct him on because I think it's so cute:

"manjes and oranges" - mandarin oranges
"nashcar" - NASCAR
"wash my hair, Daddy" - dry his hair off after he gets out of the bath

The other day...

"Man, your sins are forgiven! Yahoo! Mountain Dew!"

Scripture Set to Music

Pastor Mark Altrogge has set several Scriptures to song in order to aid your Bible memorization.

A Sad Life

The Minnesota Star-Tribune has run a series on the sad life of Kirby Puckett. The link takes you to the final piece, so start by going to the right-side of the page to navigate through the series chronologicaly.

If They Were Still Alive...

JonBenet Ramsey would be 16 years old.
Amber Hagerman would turn 20 this month.
Heather O'Rourke would be 30.
Ben Wilson would be 39.
Dana Plato would be 43.
John Belushi would be 57.
Sharon Tate would be 63.
John Lennon would be 66.
Elvis Presley would be 71.
James Dean would be 75.
Marilyn Monroe would be 80.
John F. Kennedy would be 89.
Richard Nixon would be 93.
Ronald Reagan would be 95.
Lyndon Baines Johnson would be 98.
John Wayne would be 99.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer would be 100.
Charles Lindbergh would be 104.
Babe Ruth would be 111.
Norman Rockwell would be 112.
J.R.R. Tolkein and Oliver Hardy would be 114.
Dwight D. Eisenhower would be 116.

116 years young, Elizabeth Bolden of Memphis, TN, is currently the world's oldest living person, two months older than "Ike."

Charlie Chaplin would be 117.
Knute Rockne would be 118.
F.D.R., Samuel Goldwyn, and A.A. Milne would be 124.
Harry Houdini would be 132.
Theodore Roosevelt would be 148.
Wyatt Earp would be 158.
Claude Monet would be 166.
Charles Spurgeon would be 172.
William Tecumseh Sherman would be 186.
Harriet Beacher Stowe would be 195.
Abraham Lincoln would be 197.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning would be 200.