Morning Kickoff: Crimson Tide News 10/2
By Chris Hale
Get your day started with the Morning Kickoff. All of your Crimson Tide news in one place.
From Polish orphan to Alabama’s kicker: Adam Griffith’s wild ride
"Three near-strangers anxiously waited in Warsaw Chopin Airport for a flight and a new life together.They knew only where the first would land.Andrej Dembrowski, a 13-year-old Polish orphan, was on the way to a new home with parents he met just two months prior. Home had been a combination of four orphanages in Stargard Szczecinski, Poland, a dreary town near the German border in one of the nation’s poorest provinces. Dembrowski and six siblings – four brothers, two sisters – all lived in an orphanage at some point. A generation before, their father did too.He had a new name, Adam, to symbolize the fresh start. The judges in a stuffy Polish family court, powdered wigs and all, chuckled when the boy said he picked Adam because it was short and easy to spell."
The making of Blake Sims
"When Alabama senior Blake Sims reported to the Mastrole Passing Academy in South Florida this past spring, quarterback guru Ken Mastrole saw an unpolished passer with a lot of natural ability but little refinement.“He was kind of raw,” said Mastrole, a former Maryland quarterback who played in NFL Europe and the Arena Football League and recently tutored NFL quarterbacks EJ Manuel and Teddy Bridgewater. “It was about like taking a raw piece of clay and trying to mold him physically and mentally.”It doesn’t take very long to figure out that many people had a hand in molding Sims, who will lead No. 3 Alabama into Saturday’s SEC West showdown against No. 11 Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi."
Two absolutely wonderful stories were published yesterday about two of our very own Tide players: quarterback Blake Sims and kicker Adam Griffith. I encourage you to take the time to read each one of them and to learn about what these fine men and have gone through to get where they are today. Truly spectacular stories and I am pulling for both of them on the football field as well as in life. If they don’t succeed on the field, there is no doubt these two will go far in life no matter what they mad do. Roll Tide, Blake and Adam.
Melissa Joan Hart followed a whole bunch of Alabama recruits on Twitter
"Actress Melissa Joan Hart follows nearly 3,000 accounts on Twitter. She follows everything from the Birmingham Public Library to the Bronx Film Festival. She also follows two accounts related to Disneyland Paris.She also follows more than her fair share of sports-related accounts, in particular those connected to Alabama football."
I see no problem at all in this because Melissa followed us, too! So she supports Alabama and wants to follow those that report it, play there, and support it as well? Awesome. We do the same thing. Roll Tide to you as well, Melissa. Follow who you want.
Alabama football: Tide not biting at Ole Miss safety’s comments
"Following Ole Miss’ win over Memphis on Saturday, Prewitt told FoxSports, “We don’t really think ‘Bama is as good as they have been.” He added, “We’re better than we have been.”Through social media, family and friends, those comments made it back to some of Alabama’s players, particularly Tide safety Landon Collins.“I had a lot of fans tweet at me and mention me on Twitter,” Collins said. “I read it and stuff like that, but that’s how he felt. We’re definitely going to give them our best game and see who comes out with the W.”Collins said there’s a strict policy at Alabama about not talking trash on social media."
That’s exactly how it should be. Keep your mouth shut and play it on the field. We are looking at you Coach Freeze.
Softball Holds First Team Practice of the Fall
"Alabama Softball’s road to the 2015 season officially began today, as the team held its first team practice of the season Tuesday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium.Though individual workouts had been held since the beginning of the school year, Tuesday was the first day that the 2015 team got to work together on the field. Alabama returns 13 players from last season’s SEC Championship team and welcomes five freshmen, including two recent walk-on additions Rachel Bobo and Kayla Rettig."
Women’s Golf Finishes 8th at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate
"The Alabama women’s golf team finished play at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate on Tuesday by shooting a final round of even-par 288 to finish eighth with a team score of 8-over 872.“I am encouraged with the progress this team is making,” Alabama head coach Mic Potter said. “We got to 4-under today and finished even, so we have to work on finishing a little better, but they are young, and they have to realize that it is okay to go lower. When you play against this kind of competition, you have to realize that you have to play really well all of the time to be competitive. We will learn. We have to keep playing and keep learning how to score.”"
Routliffe, Spielmann Collect One Victory Apiece on Day One of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships
"Alabama’s Erin Routliffe and Danielle Spielmann went 2-2 in the singles qualifying draw on Tuesday evening at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships.Routliffe rallied to win her match for the day against New Mexico State junior Ashvarya Shrivastava. After going down 2-6 in the first set, Routliffe came back to take the match 6-0, 6-4 and advance to the second round. In her second round qualifiers match, Routliffe fell to Florida freshman Brooke Austin, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-2."
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