Alabama Crimson Tide: There is quiet, clutter and buzz in the off-season

There is much going on with the Alabama Crimson Tide during a period when many Alabama football fans are counting the days until the start of the season.

In case any Alabama Crimson Tide fans have not noticed there is still a long time before Alabama football takes on Duke. Counting down the days makes for frequent tweets that will not bring the start of football season any sooner.

Spring football is 10 days away from being over. This Saturday’s scrimmage, to the extent any news leaks out, could be eventful. The A-Day game will generate typical anticipation but the glorified practice with restrictive rules and minimal playbooks never seems to match expectations.

There is a lot of ‘else’ going on this spring. It is not the off-season for several Alabama Crimson Tide sports. Gymnastics is chasing a chance to compete for another national championship. Softball is having its greatest season so far in terms of wins and losses. Patrick Murphy’s team looks like a strong contender for WCWS this season.

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Tennis, Swimming and Diving, Rowing, Track, Golf and Baseball have all achieved success during their spring seasons. If any sport was missed in the previous sentence, please accept our apology in advance. Like most Alabama fans we wish success for all Alabama Crimson Tide teams.

A few things are different about this spring. There is the Auburn, Final Four clutter that is hard to ignore. Our response is Go Hoos! There is a different kind of buzz about Alabama men’s basketball generated by the hiring of Nate Oats. The message boards we frequent have been about 60 percent basketball related for the last couple of weeks.

It is hard to remember a time when Alabama football did anything quietly but the Tide chatter has at least been quieter this spring. One reason is there is no starting quarterback debate for fans to engage in at a fever pitch. Another reason is the 2019 regular season will not open with a big bang. Crimson Tide fans are not searching for every morsel of information about the matchup with Duke.

We suspect Nick Saban if he noticed any difference, would be content with a little less constant probing at every little thing about his football program. To the extent that is happening even slightly, it will not last long. Alabama football reigns supreme in Tuscaloosa and it always will. If we were of a mind (and it is admitted begrudgingly) we might learn something from the Aubies. Unbridled enthusiasm over basketball is a good thing, even when it is fueled by casual hoops fans who may not have seen a complete regular season game.

At the risk of sounding silly, we’ll say the quiet, clutter and buzz of this ‘off-season’ is different in a fun way. If for no other reason because it tempers our tendency to take our passions a little too seriously.