Hi folks! My wife and daughter are at the beach for a few days this week and my son and I are left working and fending for ourselves. No problem, they needed the break and so did we.

So I am just sitting here waiting on my goodnight call; wondering what is going to happen to the University of Alabama due to the book violation, how NASCAR will survive without CAR in their name (maybe they will change it to NAS HORSE), and anticipating the day that GM stands for Government Motors. Other than that, there is not much going on in my little corner of the world.

I haven't painted a picture in awhile, which is disappointing because I had a lot of momentum in selling them on ebay. I sold 12 paintings last year on ebay, which is not bad for a hobby and for someone who really is not artistic. I also work about 55 hours a week, so it is a miracle that I actually averaged one a month. I do have a canvas on my easel that has the beginnings of a sky on it, but that is as far as I got. If I could just get motivated, I think this one will be pretty cool if I can only create it the way I see it in my head. I got the idea for the painting while at our church revival several months ago, which I must admit is not the place where I usually get ideas. They usual come from watching people, daydreaming, and spending time outdoors. I am painting the sermon and that is all that I will say about it for now. I like to add a little twist to my paintings and things I write, and if this goes as planned and visualized, one will have to look at it for a few minutes to realize the complete story that is in this painting. How funny it would be if a person liked the painting on first glance on ebay, got in a bidding war with someone - driving the price up, won the painting, hung it on the wall, and then one day had a visitor say, "Cool religious painting." Especially if they were not a believer.

I am going to try to get this site cranked up a little and make it interesting, so please bookmark it and come back later. In a few months, we will be talking football and I would really appreciate your participation. I love football. Anybody who knows anything at all about me knows that I love football. College football. I love college football. Did I say that already?

So I was sitting in the doctor's office today...

waiting for my turn to help make the doctor a little wealthier, when the Inauguration began. It was one of those deals where I rushed to the 10am appointment only to spend a couple of hours waiting in the lobby. After being called to the examination room, I spent another hour waiting there. When the doctor arrived, it only took him about 3.5 minutes to say that he could not help me and then he referred me to another doctor. The soonest available appointment is a month away. "What a waste of time," you may be thinking.

However, I benefited from waiting in the lobby and watching the Inauguration. Sometimes I get so busy in the hustle and bustle of work that I forget about some of the special things that we as Americans get to enjoy and probably take for granted. There are special perks to being an American, afterall, so it is quite easy to take them for granted.

Aretha Franklin was singing a song and the camera zoomed in on our American flag. The red, white, and blue waved so freely in the strong, gusting winds that it was almost as if it was smiling. It was, indeed, free. Next, the camera panned out to the millions of people standing together on the White House grounds taking in the moment.

When we see media clips on the news from Iraq, Iran, and other countries, you almost always see people running from building to building with a firearm in their hands. You almost always see some form of destruction among the buildings in the background of these scenes. In America, you almost always see people smiling, talking, divided on certain issues, but nonetheless, together.

You see the green grass under our feet instead of the clay and dirt. You see the beautiful blue skies instead of smoke-filled ones. You see a land of the proud and of the free.

I was reminded today, while sitting in the doctor's office complaining of the time that I was losing, that many people have lost their lives so that we could have what we received today. I became proud all over again today to be an American. Not because of the history that was being made, but because of the opportunities. Americans have the opportunity to run for office if they choose and to vote, without fear for their life, for whomever they choose. We can openly discuss our different views and are not imprisoned for it.

While some of us are complaining about things occuring in our country, others are swimming or rowing across the Gulf of Mexico and walking across the desert to get here. What a great place it must be for those to be willing to put forth such physical effort..to leave their families and homeland.

May God bless America, and may He use each and everyone of us to make it a better place.

Bama Riding High....

For now. No doubt that Alabama has made it farther than anyone ever imagined. After watching Florida, Texas Tech, and a couple of others, Alabama is not the #1 team in the country. I expected them to have another season like last year, but with maybe 8 wins. However, they have survived and managed to win 10 and as a fan, I am now hoping for more. I am pretty sure that it is going to be one of those deals where they begin to get so close that you finally start to believe that maybe there is a chance. That is how it was in 1992.

They squeaked by in every game and managed to go to the National Championship game against a Miami team that had been hammering everyone. Nobody gave Bama a chance in that game, and in the end it was Bama that did the hammering.

I do not think that will be the case this year. I expect to see Florida and Oklahoma/ Texas Tech in the Big Game. Obviously, I would like to be wrong about that, but I must first be realistic.

I will be in T-town Saturday to watch them play Mississippi State. The last Bama game I went to was against this same team and I left disappointed. I hope the outcome is different this time.

Texas Tech 42, Texas 28

Okay...laugh if you want. I am going on record now and saying that Texas Tech will knock off Texas next weekend. I am not too sure about the scores, but I think it will be high scoring since both teams have high performance offenses. I think TT's offense is a little more explosive, so I am predicting them to win by 10-14 points.

I may be wrong on this as I thought Oklahoma State would beat them. Texas certainly knew that the Cowboys were there. I think Texas Tech has an awesome football team and will be surprised if they do not pull off the upset.

I complain every year about the polls and the BCS rankings. This year is more bazaar than ever.

Last week, AP's #1 Oklahoma lost to #5 Texas. Texas moved to the #1 ranking, and rightfully so in my opinion, but where did Oklahoma go? They were handed a #4 ranking in AP poll. The Associated Press is saying that Oklahoma is a better 1-loss team this week than Texas was an undefeated team last week. How?

They are giving absolutely no considerations to Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and BYU. These guys should be your #4, #5, and #6 teams...if not higher. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if Oklahoma State was ranked over my Alabama team, or if Penn State was.

Let's be fair about it. I am a Bama fan, but I do not think they are ready for the #1 or #2 ranking. So while we are being fair, let's get these media favorites, like USC and Oklahoma (or Ohio State and Georgia, if you look a little lower), out of the way. They cannot play the big games.

Without a doubt, Oklahoma State should be ranked above Oklahoma - in my opinion. Their win over Missouri was as impressive as Texas' win over Oklahoma. The poll system is a ripoff and the most disturbing part is that the fate of the really good teams that break the top 10 late in the season is being determined by the poorly determined pre-season rankings. Let's get the playoff system started and stop screwing these teams over year after year.

Auburn's Coach Tommy Tuberville was criticized alot last week after he fired his offensive coordinator half-way through his first season. He set himself up for the criticizm when he fired the architect of the spread offense, but then said that they were going to stay with the offense. How do you do that? I think this was just example on a long list of the Tub making hasty decisions.

Last year, Nick Saban preached to the Alabama fans that you cannot have high expectations when you do not have the talent. He has preached "the process" and has had success with his recruiting efforts. The longer he is at UA, the deeper the pool of talent will be and results will eventually come.

Tuberville must have a similar process. If he wants to run the spread, he has to recuit talent that is capable of running the spread. Obviously, they do not have the right tools and talent in place at this time, and should not expect immediate results. It seems to me that a more logical approach would have been to maintain an offensive style similar to what they used in past years, and slowly build the spread offense system by practicing it during the week, executing it late in a game where a lead exists, and follow up by continued recruiting. The result cannot be immediate, as Tub must have expected, but will be positive after a couple of recruiting classes. Most of us refer to this process as planning.

I was reading an article today about Tommy Bowden's dismissal and was really disappointed in the lack of respect that some of his players are displaying. One of them, former starting quarterback Cullen Harper, said that Bowden deserved it. Harper still has a chip on his shoulder about being benched, so I didn't really expect him to say anything positive. It was what Harper's dad, Jeff, said that really got my attention:

".....I think anytime a head coach or someone in a leadership position starts to place blame on his coaches and players, it weakens their respect on the team. His past experiences have shown he's done that."

Placing blame on everyone but himself is exactly what Tommy Tuberville has been accused of the whole time he has been at Auburn. His offensive coordinators only average about two years with him, and he has had some good ones. Some that Alabama would have gladly welcomed.

Something is in the air at Auburn. As an Alabama fan, I hope it stays there long enough for Alabama to put an end to this streak.

I was wrong...

In my last post, I said that John Parker Wilson could not win the game against Georgia, but he could certainly lose it. In order to win this game, I felt like JP had to have an exceptional day. After watching him melt under pressure last year, I was concerned about this game. This was the biggest of the season.

I was wrong about my comment. John Parker Wilson helped win this football game with his calm approach to managing the game. He was the leader he is expected to be as quarterback. He made good decisions on when to throw or when to scramble. I do not recall a "forced" pass or a delay of game. (The delay of game that they were charged with was to the kicking team when the kicker forgot to kick.)

After the big win against Clemson, Alabama struggled against Tulane. This is the biggest win of the season thus far and a tough Kentucky team is coming to town. Was this a fluke against Georgia? Do they deserve the #2 ranking? This next game will help answer these questions. The true test is not always the game with all the hype and publicity, but the game that follows the one with the hype and publicity.