[RollTideFan] Sweet Home Alabama' not as sweet as it used to be
http://www.cw.ua.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/04/09/40765a2f45068 'Sweet Home Alabama' not as sweet as it used to be It Makes Sense to Me By Craig S. Wysock Assistant Sports Editor April 09, 2004 When I was a little kid, I used to always make my parents turn the radio up when Sweet Home Alabama started to climb through the speakers. I even cranked the chords up myself when I got old enough to manage my own sound machine. But now, after experiencing four years of life (i.e. athletics) at the University as a fan and a sports reporter, I'm stepping outside the Bama box and saying it's time to turn Lynyrd Skynyrd's ode to Sweet Alabamy down a few notches. By no means am I cracking on the band -- far from that, actually. I've got three Skynyrd albums, and The Ballad of Curtis Loew is one of my favorite songs on one of my favorite albums (Second Helping). And I've always liked Southern rock. Hell, I've seen Skynyrd four or five times live. But I digress... Who in his right mind can say that after hearing a song thousands of times, round 1,580 evokes the same sort of emotion as the first few times the music danced into his ears? And by that same token, who can actually say his senses are stirred with the same gusto every time he experiences a particular sight, smell, taste, sound or feeling? The basic message I'm trying to convey is that things, over time, lose their luster. The excitement surrounding a particular stimulus fades. Opinions change as age and experiences increase. And as I've gotten older and experienced four of the most tumultuous years in Crimson Tide sporting history, an innocent bystander might think I'm bitter. No, I'm not bitter, but it's something awfully close. I don't hate the song. But I really, really strongly dislike it. Am I blaming the song for all the losses I've had to endure? No. Just like I wouldn't give it credit for all the wins. However, Sweet Home has gone from a tune that evoked some sort of personal pride (I was born in Huntsville, and have lived in Alabama for all my 21 years), to one that reminds me of mediocrity. Skynyrd's anthem to the Heart of Dixie is chock-full of negative connotations for me now. It echoed throughout the stadium the afternoon Central Florida beat us on Homecoming a few years back... I still remember hearing 80,000 sets of teeth chattering as they tried to belt out the lyrics when Auburn shut us out in what could easily be tabbed the worst Iron Bowl in history... And the chorus' familiar twang added the frosting onto Sweet Home's cake for me last fall in two overtime tragedies against Arkansas and Tennessee. Funny thing, though, when I sit back and think about it: Even if the good had outweighed the bad, I'd still be tired of the song. If we would have won piles of national championships, been blessed with an army of All-Americans and never lost a game, I'd still want to throw a brick through the windows of Alabama Express (that gift shop next to Buffalo Phil's) when Sweet Home's turn came up on the store's soundtrack-like loop. Seriously, it's as if Sweet Home is haunting me. Limiting the abuse to only sporting events would be one thing, but I can't even go out on this campus without hearing it at least three times on any given party night. Whether I find myself at a frat gathering, any of the bars in town or a circle of friends with a keg in the middle, the odds of crossing paths with Tuscaloosa's favorite song are about as good as finding bourbon in Bryant-Denny Stadium come October. And yeah, I used to be on the Beam Diet. And yeah, I used to have a blast belting out Roll Tide Roll with the rest of the fan base during the chorus. The key being used to. In comparison, I remember a point in my life when shooting spitballs and popping a girl's bra straps were forms of entertainment, too. Times change. Anyway, I refuse to associate my anti-climatic sports memories with particular players or coaches. So, steering clear of the tangible, I'll drive this rant right into the intangible. I hate doing it, but Sweet Home Alabama has become my Tide sports scapegoat. Every time I hear it now, I think of what might have been. So all I'm really asking for is a quota. Instead of having to play the damned thing 20 times, is two or three too few to ask? Maybe that's what I get for investing so much into something I can't control. Who am I kidding, though? I'm a Neil Young fan. Craig S. Wysock is an assistant sports editor for The Crimson White. __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
Re: [RollTideFan] TGIF Groaner - (NonBama)
I missed 2,3, and 7Jamie No *stupid joke Groaner* today - BUT - Take the following Quiz and you may GROAN... Subject: Quiz ... kind of tough? 1. There's one sport in which neither the spectators nor the: participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. What is it? 2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward? 3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables? 4. Name the only sport in which the ball is always in possession of the team on defense, and the offensive team can score without touching the ball? 5. What fruit has its seeds! on the outside? 6. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle? 7. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters dw. They are all common. Name two of them. 8. There are fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name half of them? 9. Where are the lakes that are referred to in the Los Angeles Lakers? 10. There are seven ways a baseball player can legally reach first base without getting a hit. Taking a base on balls--a walk--is one way. Name the other six. 11. It's the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh. What is it? 12. Name six or more things that you can wear on your feet that! begin with the letter S. : : : Answers To Quiz 1. There's one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. What is it? Boxing. 2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward? Niagara Falls. The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute. 3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables? Asparagus and rhubarb. 4. Name the only sport in which the ball is always in possession of the team on defense, and the offensive team can score without touching the ball? Baseball. 5. What fruit has its seeds on the outside? Strawberry. 6. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle? The pear grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the whole growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems. 7. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters dw. They are all common. Name two of them. Dwarf, dwell, and dwindle. 8. There are fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name half of them? Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses. 9. Where are the lakes that are referred to ! in the Los Angeles Lakers? In Minnesota. The team was originally known as the Minneapolis Lakers and kept the name when they moved west. 10. There are seven ways a baseball player can legally reach first base without getting a hit. Taking a base on balls--a walk--is one way. Name the other six. Batter hit by a pitch; passed ball; catcher interference; catcher drops third strike; fielder's choice; and being designated as a pinch runner. 11. It's the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh. What is it? Lettuce. 12. Name six or more things that you can wear on your feet that begin with the letter S. Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts. ... Did you Groan? cheers -vo- http://community-2.webtv.net/TIDE1/SOLDIER/ __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
Re: [RollTideFan] TGIF Groaner - (NonBama)
And I'm not sure what a passed ball is, so I didn't get all of 10Jamie No *stupid joke Groaner* today - BUT - Take the following Quiz and you may GROAN... Subject: Quiz ... kind of tough? 1. There's one sport in which neither the spectators nor the: participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. What is it? 2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward? 3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables? 4. Name the only sport in which the ball is always in possession of the team on defense, and the offensive team can score without touching the ball? 5. What fruit has its seeds! on the outside? 6. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle? 7. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters dw. They are all common. Name two of them. 8. There are fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name half of them? 9. Where are the lakes that are referred to in the Los Angeles Lakers? 10. There are seven ways a baseball player can legally reach first base without getting a hit. Taking a base on balls--a walk--is one way. Name the other six. 11. It's the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh. What is it? 12. Name six or more things that you can wear on your feet that! begin with the letter S. : : : Answers To Quiz 1. There's one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. What is it? Boxing. 2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward? Niagara Falls. The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute. 3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables? Asparagus and rhubarb. 4. Name the only sport in which the ball is always in possession of the team on defense, and the offensive team can score without touching the ball? Baseball. 5. What fruit has its seeds on the outside? Strawberry. 6. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle? The pear grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the whole growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems. 7. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters dw. They are all common. Name two of them. Dwarf, dwell, and dwindle. 8. There are fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name half of them? Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses. 9. Where are the lakes that are referred to ! in the Los Angeles Lakers? In Minnesota. The team was originally known as the Minneapolis Lakers and kept the name when they moved west. 10. There are seven ways a baseball player can legally reach first base without getting a hit. Taking a base on balls--a walk--is one way. Name the other six. Batter hit by a pitch; passed ball; catcher interference; catcher drops third strike; fielder's choice; and being designated as a pinch runner. 11. It's the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh. What is it? Lettuce. 12. Name six or more things that you can wear on your feet that begin with the letter S. Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts. ... Did you Groan? cheers -vo- http://community-2.webtv.net/TIDE1/SOLDIER/ __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
Re: [RollTideFan] Sweet Home Alabama' not as sweet as it used to be
- Original Message - From: kurt rasmussen [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: rtf [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 11:50 AM Subject: [RollTideFan] Sweet Home Alabama' not as sweet as it used to be http://www.cw.ua.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/04/09/40765a2f45068 'Sweet Home Alabama' not as sweet as it used to be It Makes Sense to Me By Craig S. Wysock Assistant Sports Editor April 09, 2004 When I was a little kid, I used to always make my parents turn the radio up when Sweet Home Alabama started to climb through the speakers. I even cranked the chords up myself when I got old enough to manage my own sound machine. But now, after experiencing four years of life (i.e. athletics) at the University as a fan and a sports reporter, I'm stepping outside the Bama box and saying it's time to turn Lynyrd Skynyrd's ode to Sweet Alabamy down a few notches. By no means am I cracking on the band -- far from that, actually. I've got three Skynyrd albums, and The Ballad of Curtis Loew is one of my favorite songs on one of my favorite albums (Second Helping). And I've always liked Southern rock. Hell, I've seen Skynyrd four or five times live. This cockhound is 21he's never seen Lynyrd Skynyrd.He's seen that Skynyrd cover band, but he's never seen Skynyrd. And three albums? WH GIVE THIS BOY A SHINY NEW NICKEL Bet his albums aren't even vinyl Who in his right mind can say that after hearing a song thousands of times, round 1,580 evokes the same sort of emotion as the first few times the music danced into his ears? Well he was born in Huntsvillemay as well have been Tennessee And by that same token, who can actually say his senses are stirred with the same gusto every time he experiences a particular sight, smell, taste, sound or feeling? Well he just informed us of one thing he's never experienced. The basic message I'm trying to convey is that things, over time, lose their luster. The excitement surrounding a particular stimulus fades. Opinions change as age and experiences increase. See my above comment And as I've gotten older and experienced four of the most tumultuous years in Crimson Tide sporting history, an innocent bystander might think I'm bitter. No, I'm not bitter, but it's something awfully close. How he must long for those good old dayswhen Bebes roamed the sideline I don't hate the song. But I really, really strongly dislike it. Then run out and buy yerslef a Snoop Dogg D Am I blaming the song for all the losses I've had to endure? No. Just like I wouldn't give it credit for all the wins. Why not? Dumbose blamed God However, Sweet Home has gone from a tune that evoked some sort of personal pride (I was born in Huntsville, and have lived in Alabama for all my 21 years), to one that reminds me of mediocrity. Skynyrd's anthem to the Heart of Dixie is chock-full of negative connotations for me now. Then move your whiny little ass north somewhere It echoed throughout the stadium the afternoon Central Florida beat us on Homecoming a few years back... I still remember hearing 80,000 sets of teeth chattering as they tried to belt out the lyrics when Auburn shut us out in what could easily be tabbed the worst Iron Bowl in history... And the chorus' familiar twang added the frosting onto Sweet Home's cake for me last fall in two overtime tragedies against Arkansas and Tennessee. As all true BAMA fans do Funny thing, though, when I sit back and think about it: Even if the good had outweighed the bad, I'd still be tired of the song. Then you ain't no damn sutherner If we would have won piles of national championships, been blessed with an army of All-Americans and never lost a game, I'd still want to throw a brick through the windows of Alabama Express (that gift shop next to Buffalo Phil's) when Sweet Home's turn came up on the store's soundtrack-like loop. You're a communist pinko fag Seriously, it's as if Sweet Home is haunting me. Limiting the abuse to only sporting events would be one thing, but I can't even go out on this campus without hearing it at least three times on any given party night. Whether I find myself at a frat gathering, any of the bars in town or a circle of friends with a keg in the middle, the odds of crossing paths with Tuscaloosa's favorite song are about as good as finding bourbon in Bryant-Denny Stadium come October. P-U-S-S-Y And yeah, I used to be on the Beam Diet. And yeah, I used to have a blast belting out Roll Tide Roll with the rest of the fan base during the chorus. The key being used to. Then go MOOO the Georgia fight song over and over, with the other cow phuqurs down in the pasture In comparison, I remember a point in my life when shooting spitballs and popping a girl's bra straps were forms of entertainment, too. Times change. They do
RE: [RollTideFan] Thinking About Football
147 days till kickoff (or their about)... http://spruce.flint.umich.edu/~jalarie/jaa_kch.htm Roll Tide! Rick -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jamie Watts Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 12:22 PM To: RollTideFan-The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Subject:Re: [RollTideFan] Thinking About Football Got up this morning thinking about football...wondering how the Tide will play this fall. There are so many question marks surrounding this team that it's impossible to gauge how this season might turn out. Just looking forward to watching it all unfold. ROLL TIDE!! BTW, Happy Easter to all, Rick This will be a tough seasonprobably the toughest BAMA will go through in the Mike Shula erathe worst of the reductions are about to hitI think that over all the team will be better, but depth will become the major factor in the SEC scheduleAnywho, I see BAMA making to lower tier bowlBUT WATCH OUT FOR 2005THE TIDE'S about to be ROLLING AGAINJamie BTWhow many days? __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
Re: [RollTideFan] Thinking About Football
Jeff Todd wrote: Last year had better be the toughest season Shula ever has at BAMA. I firmly believe BAMA wins a minimum of 6 games this season and plays in one of the rinky-dink bowl games. Take a look at the schedule. BAMA might be bowl eligible before they play Tennessee. Last week the Tides season opening opponent's (T3H MIGHT UTAH STATE AGG33Z) O-line allowed 10 sacks during a scrimmage. Yesterday 11 sigh The MIGHT AGG33Z are so doomed. kurt __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
[RollTideFan] Diamond Tide
Went down today 3-2. We left 14 runners on base left the bases loaded in the 8th 9th inning. Wells has changed the batting order almost every game looking for the right combination, but apparently there is no right combination. Every batter is inconsistent as hell. One time, they hit the wall with the ball the next five times they go down looking. It could be a long unpleasant season for the Diamond Tide. On the bright side, we have a lot of talented young players next year should be much better if we get a batting coach. __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
[RollTideFan] Re: Thinking About Football
The Finebaum article on April 6, 2004 Shula's grace period is over has been bugging me all week. He ranted and blabbered on about Croomgate, Basketball etc and Shula's not so good handling of various other miscellaneous crap. OK - screw him... However, he had one short insignificant sentence in the article that turned my engine on and I quote... There was little said recently at the close of spring practice, which insiders described as chaotic and confused. What the hell does that mean. Is this just one of his usual smartass barbs or is he implying that CMS and Bama FB *ain't up to snuff* etc. After all, he said insiders described... to me that means that people that really know the *facts* have told him that things ain't good... Hope someone knows something other than Paul Balls making his usual noise. RTR - cheers -vo- http://community-2.webtv.net/TIDE1/SOLDIER/ __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
Re: [RollTideFan] Thinking About Football
I sed they'd make a lower tier bowl Slefbut I'm also worried that it's gonna be a tough year due to the lost scholarshipsand from what I've heard, there's not much talent down thereI don't know what happened to all that bluechip talent that Dumbose and Franphonie brought in, but I hear the pickins are slimI figure at least 6 wins toobut the SEC schedule is gonna be murder without some kind of depthJamie - Original Message - From: Jeff Todd [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: RollTideFan-The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 1:30 PM Subject: Re: [RollTideFan] Thinking About Football With all due respect, Jamie: Bullshit. Last year had better be the toughest season Shula ever has at BAMA. I firmly believe BAMA wins a minimum of 6 games this season and plays in one of the rinky-dink bowl games. Take a look at the schedule. BAMA might be bowl eligible before they play Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide! Slef E. - Original Message - From: Jamie Watts [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: RollTideFan-The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 12:22 PM Subject: Re: [RollTideFan] Thinking About Football This will be a tough seasonprobably the toughest BAMA will go through in the Mike Shula erathe worst of the reductions are about to hitI think that over all the team will be better, but depth will become the major factor in the SEC scheduleAnywho, I see BAMA making to lower tier bowlBUT WATCH OUT FOR 2005THE TIDE'S about to be ROLLING AGAINJamie BTWhow many days? __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
Re: [RollTideFan] Re: Thinking About Football
I've heard it toosecond and third handbut I've heard itJamie - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 11:48 PM Subject: [RollTideFan] Re: Thinking About Football The Finebaum article on April 6, 2004 Shula's grace period is over has been bugging me all week. He ranted and blabbered on about Croomgate, Basketball etc and Shula's not so good handling of various other miscellaneous crap. OK - screw him... However, he had one short insignificant sentence in the article that turned my engine on and I quote... There was little said recently at the close of spring practice, which insiders described as chaotic and confused. What the hell does that mean. Is this just one of his usual smartass barbs or is he implying that CMS and Bama FB *ain't up to snuff* etc. After all, he said insiders described... to me that means that people that really know the *facts* have told him that things ain't good... Hope someone knows something other than Paul Balls making his usual noise. RTR - cheers -vo- http://community-2.webtv.net/TIDE1/SOLDIER/ __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
