Jumbo Package: ‘Bama Crootin’ takes top spot from Texas A&M

I can’t say as this proposal makes any sense...unless corruption, greed, and cowardice are your thing.

The Big 10, demonstrably behind the SEC on the field, and with one division notably lagging, has decided that the best way to consistently get into the national title mix is to reduce the number of conference games and eliminate divisions.

We’ve tried unbalanced divisions before, and it didn’t work. What it did do was create an atmosphere of mistrust in Indianapolis (very deserved), that the conference Grand Poobahs were ensuring that the standard bearers had a golden parachute while the hoi polloi remained entrenched at the bottom. As for moving down to 8 games, the issue isn’t that the B10 is losing to themselves — the SEC has shown repeatedly that a loss isn’t the end of the road — it’s that their teams are getting smoked on the field. Until the athleticism and coaching gap are corrected, that’s not going to change.

I guess getting two teams in there and getting the paycheck is more important than fielding an actual competitor, huh? It just comes off as chickenshit, as greedy, as an invitation to mischief, and ultimately more B1G internal deck-stacking. “Ohio State and Everybody Else” has now been a theme for two decades — and the Big 10 is trying to make that even more the case, while also adding another unqualified team into the mix.

But winning on the field? Nah. That’s simply not going to change by dropping the occasional Purdue game from the schedule and watering down conference challenges.

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Former Alabama standout safety Sam Shade has begun carving out a nice second career for himself as a coach and especially a developer of local talent. In just two seasons, he won the 6A title, and has cranked out the ‘back of the year and a fella’ you may know as Kool Aid. Now, he’s rapidly moved into the college rankings, being selected as the next head coach for Miles.

If that pattern of rapid success holds true at Miles, don’t expect him to stay in Birmingham for long. Like Demeco Ryans, he seems to have a promising career ahead of him on the sidelines

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Of course this was going to happen:

In the not-yet 7-month-old history college athletes being granted their full name, image and likeness rights, these groups have become the biggest influencers. Their cottage-industry businesses are called NIL “collectives” — stand-alone start-up companies established to create financial opportunities for athletes.

In some cases, collectives look a lot like major corporations with large staffs and budgets. Mostly unshackled by NCAA regulations, they have put their minds and resources together to funnel funds to athletes.

If that sounds crass, get over it. Collectives have become the opening number of a hit Broadway musical. The difference? The actors in this production are also fans.

“I’m about the confetti,” said Eddie Rojas, CEO of The Gator Collective and an unabashed Florida honk who went 10-1 as a pitcher for the Gators from 1999 to 2001. “I want to create an environment where Florida becomes NIL-U.”

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White-Out on Saturday for the Baylor game!

The Tide is asking everyone to come decked in white for Alabama’s most difficult game of the season, a home tilt vs. the defending national champion Baylor Bears.

Parker will have more on this game as it approaches, but if you’d like an idea of what BU brings to the table, imagine a more athletic, better shooting, more talented version of the Houston Cougars. It’s going to be an absolute war, so now would a very good time for the Nation’s Best NIT Team Alabama to knock down some buckets and play both ends of the floor for 40 minutes — it’s been a long time since we’ve seen either.

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Can you believe softball is just around the corner? And with it, comes the preseason watch lists. Three ‘Bama players were named by USAS, including both starting pitchers (including the Gumps’ favorite thirst trap, Montana Fouts)

Montana Fouts, Lexi Kilfoyl and Kaylee Tow represent Alabama on USA Softball’s preseason watch list for its 2022 Player of the Year award, released Wednesday.

Fouts has appeared on the preseason list in three straight seasons and was a finalist for the award in 2019 and 2021. Kilfoyl is making her second-straight appearance while Tow is making the second of her career, previously doing so in 2020.

With softball arriving also comes one of our least-favorite late-spring traditions around here — watching CB meltdown when Patrick Murphy falls in love with an ice-cold batter in a must-win game.

Search your heart. You know it to be true.

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Oh, hey! Guess who’s No. 1 in Crootin’ again?

Yup. Alabama.

But, don’t get emotionally attached to it. The 5-star WR who decommitted from A&M has a very good chance of signing with the Aggies anyway after he milks some more of that sweet bagman OV money he explores his options. So, this is likely very temporary.

At the end of the day, Alabama will likely finish just second for the 2022 Crootin Title.

FIRE EVERYONE! /s

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Y’all, there’s just not much out there today. I’m sorry.

I’m still so pissed off at basketball that I refuse to throw in select Nate Oats quotes about believing in the team, yadda yadda yadda. And, man, am I ever pissed off. I was nonchalant on Tuesday, seething yesterday, and by this morning I woke up so mad I don’t even want to say anything because it will devolve into a very long string of profane personal insults.

And I save those for Josh.

We’ll be back with more later. Roll Tide.