Yea, Alabama!
Drown ’em Tide!E
very ‘Bama man’s behind you,
Hit your stride.
Go teach the Bulldogs to behave,
Send the Yellow Jackets to a watery grave.
And if a man starts to weaken,
That’s a shame!For Bama’s pluck and grit have
Writ her name in Crimson flame.
Fight on, fight on, fight on men!
Remember the Rose Bowl, we’ll win then
.So roll on to victory,Hit your stride,
You’re Dixie’s football pride,
Crimson Tide, Roll Tide, Roll Tide!!
C.: Well, that wasn’t too bad. We found your truck in just forty-seven minutes and twenty-three seconds.
d.: Yes, I could remember that my truck was parked in On The Spot Parking. They have a catchy motto that helped me remember it. “For spot on parking, park at On The Spot Parking.”
C.: Yes, and it was so nice of the bus drive to take us to three of their four lots. Since it wasn’t in the east or west lot, you surmised that it was in the south lot. It was fortunate that you saw your truck as we passed the adjacent lot.
d.: Yes, well, anyway, y’all talk to me. That will keep me awake. Ask me questions so that I’ll have to talk. That will help keep me awake while I’m driving this forty-five minute drive back to our neighborhood.
Ralph.: I have a question, Uncle d.c.
d.: What’s that, Ralph?
Ralph.: It’s an interrogative statement meant to derive information, but that’s not important right now.
d.: Okay, what’s your interrogative statement that you want to derive information from?
Ralph: Who was Bear Bryant?
d.: WHO WAS BEAR BRYANT?!! He was only the greatest football coach of all time, that’s who Bear Bryant was.
Ralph.: Uncle d.c., the search engine on my phone says that Nick Saban won more college football championships than Bear Bryant, or anyone else. Bear only won six, and Nick Saban won seven.
And, Bear Bryant is third on the list of all-time wins in college football behind Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden, so how is he the greatest football coach of all time?
d.: I’m glad you asked me that question. Coach Satan, as his players referred to him behind his back when he coached defensive backs for the Houston OIlers, coached in a different era than Bear Bryant…
Ralph: Yes, but weren’t Joe Paternoa and Bobby Bowden Bear Bryant’s contemporaries?
d.: Yes, but neither won six national championships…
Ralph: And wasn’t the national championships all these coaches won mythical, sense it was decided by a vote of the sports writers and coaches, not on the field like it is today?
d.: As I was saying, Bear Bryant instilled the toughness in his players that he had when he was a player. He was a tall, two-way end. The legend that’s told in the South is that the Bear earned his nickname by wrestling a small bear in his youth. That got all his player’s respect.
Ralph: Why?
d.: Ralph, in mine and my father’s era, toughness was more respected than skill. And, even though I attended and graduated from the SEC college that is closest to Bear Bryant’s alma mater, where he coached for many years and won six national championships, he was well-respected there, as well as in my home state. In fact, he convinced a highly-regarded running back, the highest rated prospect in Mississippi to come to the University of Alabama just by calling him and saying, “Paul, this is Paul. I would like for you to come play for me next year.”
Ralph: And did he?
d.: Yes. Paul Ott Caruth then signed with the University of Alabama instead of Ole Miss, our other arch-rival. Carruth played fullback for the Green Bay Packers for three years, and then decided to jump ship and go to the USFL. That lasted for two years before the league folded.
Ralph: Did he get picked up by an NFL team when the other league folded?
d.: No, Ralph. When it comes to running backs, NFL usually stands for “Not For Long.” Most running backs don’t last for five years, and Carruth had already played for that long. I kept up with his career because he was one of two players who played in the NFL that I played against in high school. I almost tackled him on a punt, but got clipped. That cost the other team fifteen yards, so I see that as a success.
Ralph: Who was the other player?
d.: I don’t remember his name, but he only lasted for one year.
Well, we’re almost home, so I’ll be able to go to bed and get a few hours sleep before my shift tomorrow. That way, I can get there thirty minutes early and get a good parking spot before everyone else on my shift gets there.
C.: How long does it take you to walk from the best parking spot to the medical department, d.c.?
d.: Four and one-half minutes.
C.: And from the outer reaches of the parking lot?
d.: Five minutes.
C.: Then why kill yourself to get there thirty minutes early to save thirty seconds?
d.:...It looks liked this is our neighborhood, so that’s all the time we have for today, folks. Please join us tomorrow for another episode of Cal.E.’s Korner.