So much to talk about, so little time. An arrest, a loss and a passing dominate the Crimson Tide news scene this morning. I wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts on each, without flooding the page with multiple posts.
If I had to give you one piece of free advice this morning, it would be to cherish those close to you, and to help them be the best they can be. They won’t be with you forever, and this moment is really all we have for certain.
Rolando McClain. My phone was blowing up last night with news of the Rolando McClain arrest. It’s a damn shame to see a kid that worked his way to excellence brought down by such a foolish act. Twitter was alive with commentary, and plenty of other news outlets and blogs jumped on the news with their insight, opinion and breathless recounting of the details.
I didn’t get to post on it because, frankly, I had more important things to do. I was listening to a young man talk to me about the pressure of being a teenager ready to fly the coop and be his own man. We talked about actions and consequences, and how being punished now with grounding is better than being arrested later.
Only this morning did it dawn on me that, had Rolando McClain had this type of admonishment earlier in life, he might not be in this position now. McClain was always quick to mention the impact Nick Saban had on keeping him in check, and how Saban tried to instill in him the character traits that would serve him the rest of his life. Would that he still had some example of those traits.
The old saw that ‘freedom without responsibility is license’ holds true here. Fathers, make sure that you’re spending time with your sons teaching them this truth. You only have a limited time to do so; after that, it’s up to the public and the State to do it for you.
Shane from Centerpoint. A few years ago I began another Alabama football blog to share with the outside world my love of the Crimson Tide. I got a surprising boost in traffic when Shane, a regular caller on the Paul Finebaum Show agreed to first and interview, then a regular column. He gave me a plug on the show, and things were off and running.
He later helped out BamaHammer’s own SleepWriter with a project, and was generally a good guy to work with. Shane was by all reports a decent man and was obviously a great Tide fan, sticking with his team when there was little reason to cheer. He’ll be missed by the Bama Nation, and this writer particularly. Rest in peace, brother.
Tracy Wolfson. I was watching the Iron Bowl this morning (yes, again) and got to the sideline report in which the perpetually clueless Tracy Wolfson was reporting with a dour face the lack of leaves on the Toomer’s trees. Yes, I know every single person with a brain yelled at the TV, “Tracy, it’s Autumn! Leaves fall off of trees in the Fall!”
It’s just the latest example of how the need to have a ‘story’ outweighs common sense for the employees of our 24/7 media. Remember it was Wolfson who squirted Cammy-Cam juice into her mouth on camera, apparently oblivious to the lascivious looks of the Auburn bench as they watched, and the groans of everyone watching the broadcast.
Perhaps going forward, Wolfson can give us solid analysis, actual relevant updates on player conditions and the like, and spare us the factually incorrect or simply stupid ‘human interest’ crap.
Oh, and for God’s sake, learn how to pronounce the word, ‘Coach.’