John H Armstrong

Ingram Wins in Closest Vote Ever

My man Mark Ingram won the big trophy tonight in New York City. With real class, and a lot of tears and some very obvious nervousness, Mark Ingram thanked God, his mother, his grandparents, his father (who is in a New York jail), his aunts and uncles, his coaches, his teammates and even the strength coach (who helped him build his body to become a more talented runner). 

A friend twittered that Tim Tebow prayed with Mark just before the award to calm his spirit. Classy stuff from a fellow competitor, which is one reason I love the college game so much. Ingram thus becomes the first Heisman Trophy winner in Alabama's storied football history. If you had asked a student of this great game in September if this day would come no one, and I mean no one, would have predicted that unheralded Mark Ingram would win the Heisman Trophy in the closest vote in the seventy-five year history of the award. And this guy is on track to graduate in three years and will be back to play next season before he is obviously off to play in the NFL. An amazing, feel-good story. Can the kid handle all of this at such a young age? Who knows but he seems grounded and humble. As a lifelong Crimson Tide fan I am very happy to finally see our team take this elusive trophy home. Now all that is left is the really, really important award: the crystal ball trophy given to the team that wins the BCS title game. Roll Tide!

Will this award divert attention from the game and make things harder for Alabama? Not with this player or this coach. I think it is more incentive to win it all, not less. We shall see.

The Heisman Trophy Comes Down to the Wire

If you had asked me in August if Alabama's running back Mark Ingram was a serious candidate for the Heisman Trophy in 2009 I would have smiled and said, "No way." After watching him play 13 games I now believe he deserves the most talked about personal award in college football, awarded tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Let me explain my reasons since football fans might say I am just slightly biased since I love the Crimson Tide.

Ndomukong Suh, the big defensive lineman from Nebraska might be the best player in college football this year. The guy is amazing. I have never seen an interior lineman dominate a game like he did last Saturday against Texas. This guy is amazing and will surely be a top three or four pick in the NFL draft. He could win the trophy and I would be happy for him and the fans of Nebraska. But defensive linemen do not usually win this award.

Toby Gerhart of Stanford is another monster running back on a pretty good team. He got big media coverage for his huge performance against some very bad defenses;. e.g. Notre Dame, USC, etc.

The other two finalists, besides Ingram, are Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow. Both are sensational young men and talented quarterbacks. But both played very poorly on the biggest stage of all, last week's conference championship games. McCoy was positively terrible and Tebow was only a little better.

For me the Heisman is about not only the best player but the best player performing at his best when his team, usually a top team, needs him to perform. All year long Mark Ingram did that for the University of Alabama, the number one ranked team in the land. Except for the Auburn game, Ingram performed at top level every week. The only reason he did not run for 100 yards every week was because he was limited by the coaching staff because his backup, Trent Richardson, is also one of the best young runners in the sport. Further, the coaches took Ingram out of games when he could have run up huge numbers and did not.

During the time in Alabama's season when the team was not playing at its best the guy who carried them time and time again was Ingram. He made the big plays when the offense struggled and he made them in the toughest places. He ran against some of the best defenses in the game and he proved his toughness and athleticism week after week. For me Mark Ingram personifies what the trophy is all about.

As some of you fans know Alabama has never had a winner of this award in its long, storied football history. Will tonight become the first? I will be watching and hoping but then the award I really want is the crystal ball on the night of January 7 because that is the ultimate team award: National Champions. Roll Tide.

By the way, Ingram is a sophomore so no matter what happens tonight he is back next year, the only one of the five who will be playing college football next year.

Keep the BCS Out of Congress

There are many far more important issues for Congress to take up these days than the selection process by which college football decides who the number one football team is in America this season. With the release of the first BCS poll a few weeks ago Congress again talked about getting involved. We have two wars going on overseas, a nation still in financial crisis and a host of important things to discuss and some congressional leaders want to consider the college football bowl season. College football doesn't need any help from Congress believe me. In fact Congress would likely kill the golden goose if it got its way in this matter.

Did you know that there is a college football playoff PAC in Washington? I didn't until very recently. Now that I do I am truly amazed. Bryson Morgan, a member of the board of directors of the Playoff PAC, recently said, "All of us recognize that our nation has weightier issues to tackle. However, this issue merits attention because college football's reach extends beyond the playing field. Democratically elected leaders should devote attention to a national institution that is financially and culturally important to their constituents."

Morgan, and Washington attorney Matthew Sanderson, are two of the co-founders of this PAC. Where did they go to college? The University of Utah. Why is that important? Because these guys felt Utah got shafted last year by not getting to play for the BCS trophy. They think the Utes got jobbed so they are out to change the system for teams like Boise State this year. (Anyone who watches this sport at all knows full well that Boise State would not last for a minute, if the championship was truly on the line, with the elite teams.)

Face it, the college football system is ultimately about revenue. Millions and millions of dollars in revenue go to the various conferences and universities. But both houses of Congress held hearings on the bowl system earlier this year and thus consider this important enough to at least listen to a debate about it. The good news is nothing actually happened. Two congressmen, Neil Abercrombe (D-Hawaii) and Joe Barton (R-Texas), actually introduced a bill called The Championship Fairness Act of 2009 in January. The bill would punish universities by withholding federal funding so long as that university did not line up with their application of fairness. This goes to show that both parties like "fairness" when they can define it and use government to enforce it. These arguments do not hold legal water, as Drew Sharp noted in USA Today on October 21st. Breaking up trusts is one thing but college football is most definitely not a publicly traded trust.

Ultimately this debate is about the present bowl system. The host cities of the bowl games are not about to allow a playoff system when it would kill their games. In the present system every team plays one final game. If you have a playoff system fans can wait until the system works its way down to the final two and just stay home if their team is not in the mix. There is no way the fans of the major schools could travel for three weeks to different parts of the country to see their team work its way into the final game. The whole system would become far less important to the final rankings and how you actually finish the season, up or down.

The BCS is not perfect. Every year somebody will have an argument. This year it will likely be the same. But the system does better than what we had in the past by a long shot. And surely none of this demands the time of our congressional leaders. Tell them to stop wasting your time and money on this foolish argument. College football is fine without Congress messing with it.

How Sweet It Is: Alabama Beats Auburn in a Classic Iron Bowl

Alabama vs. Auburn is very often a classic college football game. Today was no exception. Alabama was a heavy favorite, had a perfect season and had to play Auburn on the road. Auburn had two weeks to prepare and prepare they did. They came out firing and running fast, surprising and gutsy plays. Every Auburn fan should be proud of the effort the Tigers put out this afternoon. They out played Alabama until the final 8:30 of the fourth quarter, when the Tide showed the character and determination that has made them a contender for the second year in a row to win 26-21. What can I say about two straight 12-0 regular seasons? It has never been done in Alabama's storied history. I am proud of this team. They could have lost at least three games this year but refused to lose. And to think that many people thought Nick Saban would not do this well until year four and year three is not over yet. The guy is a winner.

The Crimson Tide drove the field, consuming time and making four huge third down conversions, to win with 1:34 to go. And the play call at the end, of a pass to Roy Upchurch, was a Nick Saban classic. He decided against the call of his offensive coordinator for what appeared to be a certain running play and threw a safe and effective pass to go up by five points. A field goal might have won this game but it would have left Auburn with a serious chance to still win by a field goal at the end. Instead, Saban made the right call (with the guts of a winning coach) and proved again why he is truly a great coach. He can recruit, manage a great staff, handle the pressure and seems to always call a great game. (Consider Les Miles poor management of the LSU vs. Old Miss game last week and you can see why real LSU fans still wish they had Nick Saban.) This guy is one of the five greatest coaches in the game.

Now it is on to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta next Saturday against Florida. Like last year the Gators are the favorite but Alabama will come to play. Both teams have not yet played a truly "great" game so who knows what will happen? I would not bet against Tim Tebow but the Tide will play hard and play to the end. I can't wait but then I need the next eight days to recover from the game today and get ready for more of this kind of excitement. I expect this team is spent tonight but they will be ready when the time comes. Roll Tide. "Every Bama man's behind you, hit your stride!"

The Greatest Rivalries in College Football

Readers of my blog know I am a huge Alabama football fan. By now you can guess what I will be doing this afternoon since Alabama plays its biggest rival, Auburn, on national television. Whether you are a football fan or not the Southeastern Conference (SEC) rivalries are notorious for their show and passion. And good jokes are abundant in the SEC.

Earlier this year a special edition of Sports Illustrated featured several SEC football teams on its cover and then marketed these special editions to the fans of a particular school and region. I made sure that my brother got me the special Alabama issue and I have enjoyed it immensely.

In a feature on SEC rivalries the writer says: “SEC rivalries divide families, strain marriages, test lifelong friendships and inspire bloodless insults—many of which involve illumination.” He goes on to provide a series of light-bulb jokes about SEC schools. Here they are:

How many college students does it take to screw in a light bulb?

At South Carolina is takes 80,000. One to screw in the bulb and 79,999 to discuss how this will finally be the year that they have a decent football team.

At Vanderbilt it takes two. One to change the bulb and one to explain how they did it every bit as well as any Ivy Leaguer.

At Alabama it takes five. One to change it, three to reminisce about how Bear Bryant would have done it and one to throw the old bulb at an NCAA investigator.

At Auburn it takes 100. One to screw in the bulb, 40 to talk about how they do it better than ‘Bama and 50 to realize it’s all a lie, get looped and roll Toomer’s Corner.

At Ole Miss it takes six . One to change the bulb, two to mix the drinks and three to find the perfect J. Crew outfit to wear for the occasion.

At Mississippi State it takes 15. One to screw it in, two to buy the Skoal and 12 to yell, “Go to Hell, Ole Miss, Go to hell!”

At Georgia it takes three. One to screw in the bulb and two to phone a friend at Georgia Tech for instructions.

At Florida it takes four. One to change it and three to figure out how to get high off the old one.

At Tennessee it takes 20. Two to figure out how to screw it in, two to buy an orange lampshade and six to phone a radio call-in show and talk about how much they hate Alabama.

At Kentucky it takes 8. One to screw it in and seven to discuss how much brighter it shines during basketball season.

At LSU it takes seven—and each one gets credit for four semester hours.

At Arkansas it takes none. There is no electricity in Arkansas.

What Does It Mean to Vacate Victories?

For the really serious college football fan summer is only a time that provides a calm period before the real fun begins again. We feed ourselves clips from season’s past and read blogs and posts about our favorite team. I get several posts a day from sources related to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team. I couldn't wait for the season to begin on September 5 with the greatest early match-up of them—two top ten teams: Alabama vs. Virginia Tech in the Georgia Dome. (I wrote about the game in a blog on September 5.) The place was filled with incredible energy. I had to settle for the television that evening but it was fun and I've even watched the game again on my DVR.

Some of my friends have taken note of the recent NCAA ruling against Alabama athletics (in general) for violation of a textbook policy. In short, scholarship athletes were getting text books that they should not have gotten under NCAA rules. Some may have abused this privilege and sold these books. Others got them for friends. Most did not abuse the situation but they did take advantage of it. The real problem was a lack of control in the overall way these books were accounted for internally.

The penalty included the NCAA forcing Alabama’s football team to “vacate” 21 victories in 2005, ‘06 and ‘07. I have wondered, like many fans, what does it mean to “vacate” a football victory? Does this mean Brodie Croyle, the quarterback did not pass for 275 yards in the Cotton Bowl to beat Texas Tech in 2006? Does it mean that Tyrone Prothro, who won the ESPN award (called the ESPY) for the best play in college football one year never caught the ball behind a defenders back (as can be seen in the photograph)?

Now try to get this straight. Alabama did not actually win 21 games they won and these are not forfeits. The other team cannot now say they won and Alabama cannot now say they won. It is as if the games were never played. Tell that to the players who played and the fans who watched. (By the way, this means Mike Shula (who was 26-23 on the field as head coach) was really 10-23, not 10-39! If you are confused so am I.

What kind of ruling is this anyway? Answer: It is a superficial gesture, the kind of punishment that means very little, in fact so little it amounts to next to nothing. If the NCAA really thought Alabama had done something truly terrible why didn’t they take something away that hurt them in the coming season or two? The NCAA did not penalize Alabama’s present, just their past. This really tells me the NCAA did not believe much really happened of huge importance to football here.

One writer commented: “But do either the players or the fans actually believe that a decree by the NCAA really changes what happened on the field? We all know what the scores were. You can deny the sky is blue, strike any mention of it from every book on the planet, and the sky will still be blue.” The NCAA seems to be saying these games didn’t happen unless we say they happened.

You don’t even have to be a football fan to see how modern, and dumb, this logic really is. It has a weird postmodern fell to it. (I couldn’t pass on that one if I want to convince you how much this matters, or as is the real case, doesn’t matter.)

Come to think of it Tyrone Prothro, who made that unbelievable catch you see in the photo above would love to have this all removed as if it never happened. If it didn’t happen maybe ESPN should ask for the award to be given back. But if this is true then Prothro’s game ending injury, which later almost took his life, did not happen either. If this is true then this very talented player would be in the NFL today, not out of football altogether. One sports writer rightly concluded: “But life doesn’t work that way. . . .  not even in college football.”

Meeting Big Al in Kentucky

Last Saturday I had a marvelous afternoon in Lexington, Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium. It was fun to see my football team play, and win (38-20). But it was even more fun to soak in the sights and sounds of big-time college football. The pageantry of such an event is a great deal of the fun for me personally. Tailgating, talking to fans (serious and casual), engaging with various team personnel and the media and watching the team arrive and leave are all part of such a great game-day experience. The photo at the left is the Alabama equipment trailer that travels with the team to road games carrying all their stuff. I thought it was a pretty cool truck myself.

My daughter told me before I left for Kentucky that she wanted me to get a photo with Big Al, the Alabama mascot. I told her I would. (I was quite sure I couldn’t but I am a persistent sort of guy and knew that I would do about anything to get that photo.) Early in the day I saw a lady with an Alabama shirt with these words on the back: “I Am Big Al’s Grandmother.”  I snapped a photo of her shirt and walked away. Later I was walking around the stadium an hour or so before the game and very few fans were in their seats yet. I saw the same lady on row one at the Alabama end of the field. I went down and asked her, “Are you REALLY Big Al’s grandmother?” She proudly said, “Yes, I really am.” (All grandparents are allowed such proud moments so if you do not understand then just let it go.)

I then spent almost an hour talking to this wonderful Christian lady from Cleveland, Tennessee, who told me all about her family and her grandson, Big Al. I learned that Big Al was a freshman at the University of Alabama who had tried out for this mascot position and earned a scholarship. The competition was fierce and he had to demonstrate considerable skills to earn this honor and scholarship. He travels with the team, represents the school at various events and entertains in ways that just make you smile.

Now I care a good deal about mascots since I have been one on a few occasions. I wear a costume as a Kung Fu Panda for my kids who own a martial arts academy. This little task is a lot of fun but the uniform is hot, the minutes in it are draining and the role anything but easy. And putting on the Kung Fu Panda persona is not the easiest role that I have played over the years. I am truly out of character. Or so I think. My daughter thinks this really is my character!

Anyway, I already have a great photo of Big Al on my computer screen as he leads the team out of the tunnel in Tuscaloosa and the deal was made clear: “Get a photo with you and Big Al.”

I sat in the first row with my new friend from Cleveland until two minutes into the game when the rightful seat holder showed up and I had to move to my real seat in the upper deck, much, much farther from the field. While I was in the first row Alabama scored a touchdown right in front of me (in the first 45 seconds of the game) and the photo is the team lined up to score. Pretty cool shot for me to get I thought.

Before the game I got a great close up of Big Al but no photo of me with him. This wasn’t enough. I had to persist for more. In the last two minutes I went back to row one to find my new friend, Big Al’s grandmother. Sadly, Big Al had left to get out of his uniform so when I saw him he was then out of character. (I cannot show you my photos since part of the mystique and team rule is that Big Al is anonymous!) Anyway, my new best friend, Big Al’s Grandmother, told me she would get me a signed, “To John,” Big Al photo and have it sent to me. She wrote me a few days ago and told me that it was going to happen.

So here is my question: “Does this count for a photo of me with Big Al?” My daughter is impressed enough that she says this is acceptable. I think I exceeded, once again, what she thought I would have the determination to produce. I will hang my signed Big Al, personally inscribed to his fan John, right next to my photo of Coach Nick Saban. Call me crazy, but call me a true Crimson Tide fan for sure. Roll Tide and Go Big Al.

Another Great Day with the Crimson Tide

I gladly admit that I love college football. And this year I am enjoying the early season success of my favorite team, the Crimson Tide of Alabama, with immense pleasure. Some months ago I looked at the schedule and saw that the Tide played a game in Lexington, Kentucky, on October 3. I have a number of friends in the area around Lexington and decided that I just might try to make a visit to the beautiful Bluegrass State this weekend. After getting a single ticket, and arranging to stay with some friends who faithfully support ACT 3, I made my plans three weeks ago. Then I arranged for two other ministry stops. Yesterday, I visited with faculty at Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. I love Asbury and I deeply appreciate their excellent faculty. My friend Jim Heidinger, the former director of Good News, hosted me. Tomorrow evening I will speak in Richmond, Kentucky, for a Friends of ACT 3 evening. Information is available on our Web site. If you live in the Lexington region come by Sunday evening in Richmond. I would love to meet you.

Since I saw the Crimson Tide play last week in Tuscaloosa today is a first, since I will see them play in successive weeks. I have not done this since I was a student in Tuscaloosa back in 1967. Some guys play golf, some hunt, some fish. I try to follow college football in the fall season. So here I am in Lexington for a great game. There is so much to like about this Alabama team but one of the most enjoyable aspects of their game is watching kick and punt returns.

Senior Javier Arenas, the number one kick returner in the nation, plays for the Tide. Javier is just fun to watch, unless you are trying to defend against him. Every time he touches the ball he can break the big one. he almost always gives Alabama great field position following a punt. Without injury Javy will break the SEC record for career return yards, either today or next week. He will very likely break the NCAA record a few weeks later. He is the best kick returner I have ever personally seen in college football. His secret is to not dart and weave but to straight run to daylight and then look for "air" as he calls it. His instincts are amazing. I will enjoy seeing him today and hope he breaks a few long ones for me. Roll Tide Roll. (For Bama fans, that's simply RTR!)

A Glorious Fall Day in Tuscaloosa

Today promises to be one of the best days I will enjoy this fall. I make an annual trip to Tuscaloosa with my brother Tom to we see the Crimson Tide play a home game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Today is that day. We will drive from Huntsville, in the northern part of the state, to Tuscaloosa, a drive of about two and a half hours. We will leave early, enjoy a great day of fellowship, tail gate on the quad on junk food, see the pageantry, watch the team arrive at the stadium hours before the game and hear the band. We will see sights that make us laugh and meet people who are interesting to say the least. Then we will enter Bryant-Denny Stadium several hours early to feel the atmosphere and experience the growing crowd. By the time kickoff arrives we will be more than ready to see the Tide thump the Arkansas Razorbacks.

I am quite aware that many readers have no interest in big time college football at all but since this is my blog, and thus it includes things that are about what I enjoy now and then, I will share a little about my day with a few of my friends. (If you are not my friend then I can't help you so I guess we leave it there.)

I will also do two ACT 3 Friends meetings in Huntsville over the next two days. One is tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m. The other is on Monday at 11:45 a.m. If you would like to sign up for one of these events go to act3online.com and register. Information is on the Web site. I would love to see you if you live in North Alabama. Even if you love Auburn I would still love to see you. In Christ even Auburn and Alabama rivalries become very small. My tickets for the game today were given to Tom and me by a great ACT 3 friend who is an Auburn alum. Friendship doesn't get any better than that if you know how big this rivalry is among the fans of both schools.

A Father, His Son and the Love of Two Great Sports

Regular readers know that I love two sports: baseball and college football. I enjoy others sports now and then but I am passionate about these two. In a unique way these two loves define my childhood and thus they have remained with me for sixty years. Both interests began by learning and sharing these loves with my dad. From my earliest remembrance dad took me to see the Nashville Vols play minor league baseball. From this experience, and from playing pitch and catch with dad in the backyard, I learned to love baseball. In 1957, as a boy of eight, I adopted the World Series champion Milwaukee Braves as "my" team and the rest is history. All these years later I still love the Braves. Through thick, like in the great run in the 1990s, and through thin (there were several lean decades in Atlanta), I rooted for the Braves. Perhaps my greatest Braves baseball moment was doing chapel for the team at Wrigley Field back in the 1970s. I later did more baseball chapels in Atlanta and St. Louis. Going inside a major league clubhouse on game day (which is not done by almost anyone these days because of security) was a major thrill. Meeting players in this setting was also an uncommon kick.

My other great love (in sport) has been for college football. I also came to this love with my dad (photo left, with mom, from the late 1930s) in the mid-1950s. Our family lived about 25 miles east of Nashville (TN) and we had tickets to see Vanderbilt University play football and basketball. I expected that I would go to Vanderbilt University until my senior year in high school. I attended a military prep school and longed to leave home and get away to try a different way of life that offered new vistas to grow and change. Several things that happened in that last year led me to attend the University of Alabama. My parents, thankfully, agreed with my choice. Friends teased me by saying I chose Alabama so I could cheer for a winner.

My first memory of Alabama football is etched in my mind to this day. Dad took us two boys to see Vanderbilt play Alabama in 1958, Bryant's first season as head coach of the Crimson Tide. As we watched the game unfold (Alabama was not very good yet) dad told me that the coach on the sidelines would turn this team around and they would be a National Championship caliber team soon. I didn't know what that meant but I soon realized it meant they would be very, very good. I still recall Bryant throwing his hat down at an official's call and asking, "Dad, why did that coach throw his hat?" I also recall another game in Nashville and how the fans in crimson almost outnumbered the home town fans. And they yelled, all night long, "Roll Tide, Roll." I was fascinated. I was also attracted to the coach and the school. Later, when I visited Alabama to consider enrolling in the fall of 1967, a local pastor got me a pass to an Alabama practice and I met Bear Bryant. The team was preparing for a bowl game and I was really impressed. I knew I wanted to go to Alabama then.

The irony of my two years on the campus at Alabama is two of Bear Bryant's worst teams were the two years I was there. By his standards these were down years. Some even suggested he had passed his prime. In the 1970s he turned it around and had one of the greatest decades in football history winning more championships and honors than ever. So much for "over the hill."

My son and daughter got the interest in baseball, especially my daughter. But neither has any interest at all in college football. The problem is that we had no great team to see on Fall Saturday afternoons. I couldn't pass the love along I am afraid. My daughter tells me, "I guess you have to go to a university to adopt the team like you did." That is not quite true since hundreds of thousands of people follow the Crimson Tide who never attended the university. Think, for example, of all the die-hard Notre Dame fans who never even visited the campus. College football is bigger than alumni but the core fan base is clearly rooted in those who attended a particular school.

I can't explain this but whenever I meet a Crimson Tide fan I immediately have a topic of common interest that makes me smile. Hey, I even discuss the subject with friends who went to Auburn, Florida, Georgia and (even) Tennessee! The rivalries in the Southeastern Conference are incredible. I have been to the "big house" in Ann Arbor many times. I have been to huge sports venues over five-plus decades. Nothing compares to an afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Athens, Gainesville, Auburn or Knoxville. I will get to one game (Arkansas) in Tuscaloosa this fall. (I schedule ministry in Alabama for one fall weekend almost every year. Friends just know the Lord led me!) I hope to see one away game if I can get to Kentucky the first weekend of October. I will watch or record all the television broadcasts of the Tide and turn off the phone when I watch. I am a rowdy and, sometimes, loud fan.

I am excited about this year's Crimson Tide team. They are young and they are loaded with talent. This is the kind of team that Nick Saban might be able to mold and shape in his way. They open tonight in Atlanta (nationally televised) against highly regarded Virginia Tech. Both teams are ranked in the pre-season Top Ten. It should be a fun game. I think the Tide wins but then I am biased. Now you know why.