Haylie McCleney calls it instinct.

When she stood in center field a week ago, watched a ball flare off the bat of LSU’s Tammy Wray into shallow right field, ran and dived for it — landing so hard and with such speed that she broke her belt buckle while making the catch — it was instinct.

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AJ seems like a genuine good guy. He does not have to do these type things but he wants to. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and keeps his priorities in order.


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What a weekend it was for the ladies. Today's game was a rerun of game 1, get a  lead and hold it. Bama is playing at a very high level right now and that is because JTrain has worked herself almost back to the level she was playing before her injury. The team feeds off of Traina, as they have all four of her years playing here.

There were many heroes this weekend and it wasn't just the hitters. Bama is playing as good defensively as they have played in quite some time. In yesterday's game, who would have ever thought Bama could win that game because Jury was having a terrible time with her pitching. It seemed that LSU was getting the first two batters on with no outs in every inning, but the defense and some timely good pitches bailed her out each time. I will give CPM some credit for his changes in the lineup in the latter innings yesterday with the pitchers. LSU has very good hitters, especially in the middle of their lineup and the changes that CPM was making with Littlejohn and Jury kept those at bay at two very critical times. Getting those two out their last two times at bat was the key to the win, Bama had gotten the lead and was really being pressed hard. I don't think Bama will play another team that has better hitters in the 3 and 4 slots than LSU, they hit the ball hard every time at bat. I have to give credit to McCleney in centerfield, she is by far the best womens softball player I have ever seen. She can beat you so many ways, the bat, running the bases, and with her arm, glove, and speed in the outfield.

Now we will have to wait and see how the team handles success. When you're number one in the league, being ready to play every gameday is a necessity. There are a lot of young players on the team and they are improving with every game but the X factor for this team is Jaclyn Traina, Bama goes as Traina goes.

  

It's March, which means one of the annual storylines that accompanies the doldrums of the offseason is creeping to the forefront yet again.

The SEC schedule.
The conference voted last offseason to keep the current eight-game, "6-1-1" format for 2014 and 2015. That format features six conference games against divisional opponents, one permanent cross-division rivalry game and one rotating cross-division opponent.
But in 2016, the nine-game schedule is still on the table. According to Jon Solomon of AL.com, the majority of the SEC's athletics directors support the eight- or "eight-and-a-half" game schedule, the latter meaning that a quality nonconference opponent is required since Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Kentucky have annual rivalry games with quality out-of-conference opponents.
That doesn't necessarily mean that an eight-game conference schedule is here to stay. As Solomon points out, the decision will also be up to the presidents. Now that the SEC is not only a collegiate athletic conference but also very much in the television programming business, expect the presidents to view the discussion less as a football decision and more as one that can impact the bottom line.

When the SEC Network launches on Aug. 14, it will force the conference's powerbrokers to change the way they think. Sure, the bottom line has always been an issue and, to a point, they've always had to act like television executives.
Now they are television executives.
As a result, the new network needs inventory, and live college football games provide the most compelling inventory available on the network.
According to GetSECNetwork.com, the 24-hour channel will feature 1,000 live events, including 45 college football games in its first year of existence. With three games per Saturday and some weekday football games mixed in, wouldn't it be nice if the pool of games to choose from was a little more compelling?

Of course it would.

Adding one more conference game to the mix not only would create more meaningful games for the network, but also more options for CBS and ESPN—which wholly own SEC Network—to broadcast on their major networks.

The majority of ADs want eight games, and according to Solomon, every coach not named "Nick Saban" is in the same boat. But when the cash from the SEC Network starts rolling in, they'll be torn in two directions.

Eight conference games will still be attractive in the sense that it creates an easier path to the College Football Playoff and allows for scheduling flexibility; but nine games could contribute to more success for the network and more money available for salaries, facilities, etc.

Which takes precedence?

Money talks.

When it speaks, it's going to be in favor of a nine-game conference schedule.

 

Well this season is shot to crap so I thought I we would look ahead and see what might be out there. First, I think we need to look at the returning players:


Shannon Hale 6'8" Forward Soph-This is our most important returning player. He has shown flashes of great ability, inside and outside. He can hit 3 pointers, rebound, and seems to move well without the ball. What we need for him to show more consistency, & score 14-18 points a game. Plus, Bobby Knight likes this guy and thinks he is a future star. Pretty good recommendation.

Levi Randolph 6'5" Guard SR-Levi is a mystery and has shown potential but has never reached it. He has been our most energetic player every game, good hustle, and defense, but scoring has been off & on. He always appear to hesitate when shooting and seems almost timid to take an outside shot. I hope to see senior leadership out of him next year and we need him to score 10-13 points a game.

Rodney Cooper 6'6" Guard SR-The biggest mystery on the team. He can score 24 one game, then go 3 straight games and score a total of 10 points. He's a good rebounder but he has to do better on the outside shot. Seems to totally disappear in games.

Jimmie Taylor 6'10" Forward/Center Soph-Has shown flashes of potential. I expect major improvement next year in his game. We really need his big man presence inside. He has to work on rebounding, scoring, defense, blocking out, moving without the ball, basically everything but I really like him.

Retin Obasohan 6'1" Guard Jr-Another player who has shown potential but fell off at the end of the season. Has no real outside shot but is a slashing driver to the basket. Again, he has shown potential but needs to refine his game.

Algie Key 6'4" Guard SR-JUCO guy who has struggled mightily. He was supposed to be a point guard who could relieve Releford but he has been a huge disappointment. I've always heard that it takes a year for JUCO's to adapt to major college basketball, so maybe he can bounce back next season.

Carl Engstrom 7'1" Center SR-Talk about a huge disappointment. He seems agile, energetic, and has great size, but he can't seem to put it all together. Will he even be around next year?

Nick Jacobs 6'8" Forward SR-Another mystery player. He can be so good inside and around the basket, but in other games he disappears. If he can be consistent he can be a force under the basket. The question now is, will he return to the team?

Transfer In:

Ricky Tarrant 6'2" Guard JR-I am very excited about this player. He's from the Bham area and is a point guard. I think he will be the starting PG for the team next year. He was a solid player in high school and he was a huge Tide fan but was never recruited by the team. I think he will be a huge addition to the team.

New Commits:

Justin Coleman 5'10" PG-I like this player. He can be part of the answer to our outside shooting woes. He is quick, fast, and highly energetic. Can't wait to see him.

Riley Norris 6'6" Small Forward-Another player who could make an impact with outside shooting. He has a good reputation, but this is the SEC.

Devin Mitchell 6'3" Shooting Guard-Another player who could make an impact from the outside with his shooting. I really think at least 2 of these commits will make a difference.

We still have room for more commits and we need some big men in the worst way. With Jacobs status up in the air, we need at least 2 more big men. If someone has access to the Rivals pay site, they have info on other players that we are pursuing.

What are you guys thoughts, information, & observations?


 

I get tired of hearing how ruthless Coach Saban is and all he cares about is winning at all costs. This is a sad situation for Elisha Shaw but at least he still gets his free scholarship to Alabama.


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The room was packed and everyone was waiting anxiously on Coach Saban to finish his news conference so we all could hear what he and his staff had to say. As they entered the room, you would have thought that we were outside in the stadium because of the loud roar from everyone as they all entered the lobby of the North Zone.

That loud roar pretty much set the tone for Coach Saban and staff. Each of the assistants gave us a rundown on the players that signed and would be playing for them. They were as giddy as the REC members and was it ever fun to hear them break down each player and and describe their players and potential. Bo Davis and Lane Kiffen really got a big welcome. Kiffen had a lot of fun though as he looked at all of us and said he was out on that field in 2009 and never got a reception like he got tonight. He also said he was so worried today about getting Rashaan Evans to sign and when he saw it on ESPN he ran over to Kirby Smart and excitedly told him that Evans had signed and he said that Kirby looked up at him and said, "no big deal I've known that would happen for two weeks." He then said he  could have killed him then for not letting him know earlier. Kiffen also went on to say that what he watched happen in Lee County(Auburn) was far beyond anything that he had ever seen in recruiting wars. Kirby Smart went to Lee County, in Gus Malzhan's own back yard and he didn't just beat him, he kicked his a**. The crowd went wild. I think Mr. Kiffen will do well here because he works for Nick Saban.

Coach Saban did a good job in taking us back to his first year at Bama and his first season when they went 7-6. He talked about the different reasons for this year's collapse and compared them to his first team and now he was putting himself and the team back in the same position as his first spring practice was . Most of his reasons were players became more satisfied with what they had done in the past games rather than working on ways to do those things better in the season ahead. Complacency and lack of commitment pretty much summed up his reasons.

He also talked about fan support and how important it is to the teams success. The complacency and commitment reason applied to the fans as well. In his first spring practice at Bama there were almost 100,000 fans in the seats and this was after the 7-6 season. He then said that the team had just won 2 national championships in a row and there have been nowhere near that many fans in the stadium for the spring games as it was in the first spring game when they were 7-6. There should really have been more because they were winning championships. He wasn't bashing the fans by no means but he was concerned that the fans had become complacent and somewhat uncommitted as some of the players had done. Both have become so used to winning that each thinks Bama will win every game regardless. He then told us that this spring practice will be like his first one here. They are 0-2 in their last games and they will start spring practice as the 7-6 team did, back to the basics of recommitting themselves to the process.

It felt good to hear Coach and his staff get so fired up and ready for spring to get here as they get started on their next championship run. I only wish that all of the fans could have been there tonight to get their enthusiasm fired up once again as we all did. I will not be surprised at all if there isn't a new record for attendance at the ADay game this year and I can promise you, I will be there and I hope all of you will be as well, the team needs us. RTR

I got the e-mail too and was coming here to post this part in particular:

THROUGH THICK AND THIN

Our Mission is to recruit and develop student athletes to compete at the highest levels in their sport; to educate and prepare those student athletes to compete at the highest levels in life after graduation; and to do both with honor and integrity. I believe that mission is not only that of the Athletics Department, but matches what you as fans desire of our programs.

While we strive for excellence in everything we do, there are also times where thoughtful patience is required. I evaluate every sports team after the season and try to make the best decisions in my power as to what I believe is best for the University over the long run. There are many factors to consider in making that best decision. It is my hope that our fans and supporters will also take that same view. All of our teams need - and I believe deserve - OUR FANS to be there in support, regardless of their record.

I hope that your allegiance and your presence will continue through thick and thin.  I have seen firsthand where the passion of loyal fans can lead to negativity, which makes recruiting for the future much more difficult. Such negativity can make a bad situation worse, ironically coming from those who love the University the most.

All of us deal with high expectations - our own and those of others. High expectations are often perceived as pressure by most outside observers, but it is fuel for those of us in athletics as we work daily to achieve our mission. Many times we fail to meet someone’s expectations, particularly in the high profile world of college sports. It can become difficult to remember that the expectations that truly matter are personal, both to the individual and the organization or team they represent.

Having realistic expectations is also very important. Evaluating what realistic expectations are for any program in our midst is a relative proposition. Every team we have is at a different stage of development, so the realistic expectations for one may be higher or lower than another. Each of our teams at Alabama has high expectations. None of us would want it any other way. As an organization, we have high expectations for all facets of our programs.

The expectations of most outside observers are pretty simple and clear: they want our athletics program to compete for championships in every sport while graduating our student-athletes and producing productive people. That's a set of expectations we all embrace at the University of Alabama. Do we always meet those expectations? No. Just as important, do we always meet our own expectations? No. Nonetheless, that's the standard we try to live up to. That's the level of achievement we want - and, yes, expect - to reach in every sport.

Consistency and discipline in approach is crucial to meeting our goals. Self-control in thought and action creates consistency. The attitude we assume when faced with disappointment is truly up to us. That's as true for fans and supporters as it is for student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. The passion that our fans have for our University is what sets Alabama apart from the rest. It is my hope that we can harness that passion and direct it to positive outcomes.