Breaking: Quarterback commits to Alabama

A statement from highly-recruited quarterback Cooper Bateman just arrived in my email. It sounds like the rising high school senior be attending Alabama, according to the message delivered by his offensive coordinator at Cottonwood (Utah) High, Scott Cate.

“This has been a great time in my life, I have had the rare opportunity to be able to choose from many great schools that would allow me to get a college degree and continue to play the game that I love.This has been a very difficult decision only because I was able to meet and get to know so many wonderful coaches at so many great universities.

“I have chosen to attend the University of Alabama. I am honored that I will get to learn from Coach Saban and Coach Nussmeier and will get to represent Alabama, the state and the University. I want to thank my coaches at Cottonwood for all they have done for me and mostly to my parents who have made this all possible.”

Bateman is a 4-star prospect according to both Scout.com and Rivals.com. The statement also says he plans on enrolling in January and would be available for 2013 spring practices.

Check out video from his junior season.

Next, watch Bateman throw a game-winning hail mary that travels about 60 yards in the air.

 

Much more to come soon.

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Video of Rolando McClain incident turns up

Rolando McClain being led to police car on Dec. 1. (Copyright photo John Godbey/Decatur Daily)

Former Alabama star linebacker Rolando McClain is set to stand trial in Decatur on Thursday for the issue he had back in December. The Oakland Raider was accused of firing a handgun after pointing it at another man’s head.

As the court date looms, a video of the incident was provided to The Decatur Daily. The footage was edited together from several different cell phone videos from the night in question.

Click here for the story and the video. Before watching, hid the kids or put on headphones. The language is a bit salty.

Follow The Daily for all the updates as the legal process plays out in Decatur this week.

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The story behind Nick Saban’s spring, summer plans

Nick Saban is everywhere these days. Read all about his plans for the rest of the spring and summer in today’s story in 3…2…1 …

MUSCLE SHOALS — There’s football season, then recruiting season, followed by spring practice.

Not much changes in the Alabama football routine. It’s the slow time for players, but show time for coach Nick Saban. The road is his home in May. Well, more like the air.

The Crimson Tide football coach needed just a 30-minute flight to hit yet another speaking engagement Tuesday evening. He packed the conference center at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa with about 750 fans handing over $50 a pop.

Fans sipped cocktails in the lobby occupied by traveling Alabama memorabilia sales teams. A few VIPs got a meet-and-greet and a commemorative photo with Saban in a side room just off the packed main hall. Saban jokes about directly communicating with the base instead of allowing the media to filter his message.

“Spring is a lot of speaking. I really enjoy it,” Saban said. “I really enjoy getting out, meeting a lot of our people. It’s the one time of the year when I get an opportunity to do it.”

Spring isn’t what it once was, though, and Saban misses the old way.

He used to spend the time after spring practice on the road evaluating the next class of star recruits. That changed in 2008, when the NCAA passed a rule prohibiting head coaches from any such in-person inspections. It was nicknamed “the Saban rule,” after the Alabama coach was accused of speaking to prospects beyond the mandated casual greeting.

“I really do miss spring recruiting and not being able to go on the road, but we’ve adapted, and my involvement is talking on video conferences and the telephone and doing as much as I can in evaluation and getting ready for next year’s opponents.”

Click here for the rest of the story.

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Video of Saban talking football, his summer plans in Muscle Shoals

The Crimson Caravan hit the Shoals this evening. About 750 crimson-clad followers are packing a conference center as I type with Nick Saban the star attraction. Before the event, he took a few minutes with reporters. Here’s a bit of what he said.

 

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Alabama left out of College Football Hall of Fame class

It was becoming an annual tradition, but there will not be an Alabama product heading to the College Football Hall of Fame this year.

Alabama had an inductee every year since 2008. Derrick Thomas and Bobby Humphrey were among the finalists not selected in the announcement made Tuesday morning in New York.

Former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer was among the three coaches named to the 2012 class.

Marty Lyons, a defensive lineman from 1975-78, was inducted last year. Gene Stallings went in the year before. The latest inductee will be the 23rd overall member with Alabama ties. Click here for the complete list.

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Study: Alabama athletics revenue among highest in nation

If you’ve followed this site long enough, you’re familiar with our fascination with money relating to college sports. We’ve done several stories looking into Alabama’s finances. (See this and this for examples)

But USA Today has the resources to compare the same information to the whole country. They released the results of the most recent study today. Click here for the full database.

In it, you’ll see Alabama’s 2010-11 revenues of $124.5 million ranked third in the nation. Only Texas ($150.3 million) and Ohio State ($131.8 million) made more cash than Alabama did last year. Don’t forget Texas separated itself from the crowd with help from the controversial Longhorn Network.

Alabama’s revenues outpaced expenses to net a $13.9 million in profit. That includes the $5.2 million that the university contributed to the athletics budget.  Only seven schools operated without a subsidy from their respective universities including Texas and Ohio State.

Update: Now, a few more observations to put these numbers in proper perspective …

• Alabama’s revenue ($124.5 million) is 35.6 times more than Coppin State, the school that made the least money in 2010-11 ($3.5 million).
• The $6 million of revenue brought in by Alabama A&M would represent just 4.8 percent of Alabama’s intake.
• Other revenue totals for other Alabama Div. I schools: Alabama State $10.6 million, South Alabama $17.4 million, Jacksonville State $12.2 million, Troy $15.2 million, UAB $25.7 million, Auburn $103.9 million.
• Private schools like Sanford were not included in this study because they’re not subject to public records laws.
• The last five years of Alabama A&M’s total revenue ($35.2 million) doesn’t total what Alabama spent on coaching salaries along last year ($36.1 million).
• Five of the top 10 money-making schools came from the SEC (Alabama, Florida, LSU, Tennessee and Auburn).
• Four of the next 10 also came from the SEC if you don’t count Texas A&M.
• The two Mississippi schools are far behind the pack in SEC revenue. Mississippi State, the 11th-place member with $58.9 million, made $24.9 less than No. 10 South Carolina. Ole Miss is even further behind with $49.2 million.

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Download three new free Alabama Facebook cover photos here

This is another set of Facebook cover photos for use in the new timeline profile pages. I still credit the Orlando Sentinel from whom I borrowed the idea for this.

So, below, you’ll see a few photos I took over the past few years. They are self-proclaimed Daily Bama Blog classics and sized just right for use as Facebook cover photos.

Just click on the photo to enlarge it, then right click (for Windows users) and save the image. We’ll be updating the library over time. Enjoy.

New for May 15 …

A-Day 2012.

North end zone plaza at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Tailgating on University Boulevard.

—-

New for May 14:

Walk of Champions

Outside Bryant-Denny Stadium

LSU at Alabama, Nov. 5, 2011.

—-

New for May 11:

Two more for your Friday …

Gymnastics in Coleman Coliseum.

—

New for May 10:

A-Day 2011.

Coleman Coliseum

Million Dollar Band before football game.

—-

Original post …

BCS championship

Coleman Coliseum

ESPN GameDay before LSU game.

——————————

New for May 9

Here are two more for the collection. More to come. Stay tuned.

Baseball game.

Foster Auditorium.

Check back every day this week for additions to the collection. There are a bunch still to come.

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Here’s the NCAA draw for Alabama softball

The NCAA was in no rush to announce the softball tournament pairings. The selection show is on and Alabama just learned its assignment.

The SEC champions will host the regional, and should the Tide win that, the super-regionals will be in Tuscaloosa as well. Here’s the matchup for the first weekend set for Rhoads Stadium:

• Georgia Tech (36-21) vs. South Alabama (39-15), 3:3o p.m.  Friday
• Alabama (50-7) vs. Tennessee-Martin (39-20), 6 p.m. Friday

Saturday games begin at 1, 3:30 and 6 p.m. If needed a Sunday final is set for 3:30 p.m.

The winner of the Tuscaloosa regional faces the Louisville regional winner for a spot in the Women’s College World Series.

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Former Tide linebacker wins MMA title (with video)

It’s been a few years since Eryk Anders’ sack and forced fumble helped Alabama win the 2010 BCS national title game. After Saturday night, he’s a champion again.

Anders (32) from 2009. (Decatur Daily file photo by Gary Cosby Jr.)

Anders won the Tennessee light-heavyweight MMA title with a one-round win Saturday night. He reported the victory on his Twitter page and posted video as proof.

Click here for footage of the 2-minute, 59-second win.

After the fight, Anders made mention of the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry with a photo.

Click here for a look at his victory cigar.

There’s obviously more to this story. I’ll work on that and get back to you sometime soon.

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Special report: Could 2011-12 Alabama athletics season be tops in school history?

This is the product of a project I’ve spent parts of the last few weeks on. It’s a question worth asking. So read the story and figure it out for yourself …

TUSCALOOSA — Few know University of Alabama athletics history like Ken Gaddy. The director of the Bryant Museum has worked there 20 years.

Not many compare to the one still in progress.

The 2011-12 athletics season is making an argument for its place in school history. Never before had two Crimson Tide programs won national titles in the same season, and it’s not unreasonable to forecast another before June.

Three of the four Alabama programs still competing — men’s and women’s golf and softball — rank in the top three in their respective sports. Each carries realistic goals of joining the Tide football and gymnastic teams on top in the coming weeks.

“In recent times,” Gaddy said, “It’s the best in a long, long time.”

Realistically, it’s a debate open to discussion based how a season is judged. The 2011-12 argument already holds the national championship advantage, but there were years with more success in SEC competition and postseason participation.

As it stands today, eight of Alabama’s 18 teams have or will play in NCAA postseasons or bowl games. For sports like swimming and track, only a top-10 finish in NCAA meets were counted as a postseason berth for this report.

That total was 10 back in 1992-93 when the Tide football team capped an undefeated season with a national title. There were 10 postseason teams as recently as 2005-06 and the department sent no fewer than seven teams in each of the last eight years.

SEC titles are considerably more difficult more rare. Neither of Alabama’s two national champions won the league this year. The total of regular season and postseason SEC crowns sits at three after the softball team won the tournament title Saturday afternoon.

At least one Alabama team won SEC titles in nine of past 10 years with 2007 being the last without championship hardware. The 2009-10 season remains the school’s high-water mark with four titles. The football and women’s golf teams topped postseason competition when the softball team claimed regular-season and tournament titles.

Click here for the full story (no subscription required).

Then, vote. Let your voice be heard. It’s the American thing to do.

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Listing every SEC title, postseason appearance for Alabama athletics since 1970

This took forever to compile and organize, believe me. But it’s about the only way to quantify success for a given athletics season. So we looked at every one since 1970 at it related to Alabama to go with today’s print story.

First, a few rules. Bowl games and NCAA tournament invitations count for postseason appearances for most sports. For sports like swimming and track that don’t get team invites to the NCAAs, top-10 finishes were counted.

SEC regular reason and tournament titles were counted the same in this listing. A brief key: PS = postseason, NC = national championship. Here’s the 2011-12 season as a an example with all the others found by clicking to read more below.

2011-12: Football bowl, NATIONAL CHAMP; Gymnastics NCAA, NATIONAL CHAMP; W soccer NCAA; M basketball NCAA; M golf SEC, NCAA; W golf NCAA; W Tennis NCAA; Softball SEC, SEC tourney NCAA … 3 SEC, 8 PS, 2 NC

Alabama softball ambushes Florida, coach Murphy in SEC title game mauling

Patrick Murphy takes ice water bath after Tide wins SEC title (Daily Bama Blog photo)

Take a look over today’s print story dealing with Alabama’s softball SEC title it wrapped up yesterday …

TUSCALOOSA— Quietly stalking their prey, Jazlyn Lunceford and Cassie Reilly-Boccia crouched low, Gatorade bucket in hand.

Just as the TV interview ended, they pounced. A startled ESPN reporter was collateral damage when it was time for Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy’s ice-water bath.

It wasn’t the first ambush of the day, either.

The third-ranked Crimson Tide crushed No. 7 Florida 10-1 in the SEC tournament championship, becoming the first event host to celebrate at home. It was the fifth title in program history and the only the second to follow an SEC regular-season championship.

Murphy, the league coach of the year, knew something was up just before the water came his way Saturday afternoon.

“Well, (ESPN reporter) Holly Rowe asked some question that was totally off the wall,” Murphy said. “I think she was trying to get me to stay there for a while, stalling for the team.”

Before the soaking, Murphy took quite a risk. He opted to rest ace pitcher Jackie Traina instead of sending her out for third straight outing. The SEC pitcher of the year said she was sore before the game, so he sent Amanda Locke to the circle for only her fifth start.

Click here to read the rest.

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Video, photo gallery of the full Alabama softball celebration after winning SEC tournament

Here’s a more complete video of the post-game scene at Rhoads Stadium after Alabama beat Florida 1-0 to claim its fifth SEC softball title in school history. As you’ll see, the record crowd was pumped.

 

And now, a photo gallery of the same scene. Seriously, iPhones can do it all.

Tide wins SEC

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Video of Patrick Murphy, ESPN’s Holly Rowe getting Gatorade bath

Here it is, from beginning to end, the celebratory bath after Alabama beat Florida in the SEC softball tournament final, 10-1. More later.

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Alabama cruises to SEC softball tournament title

The Crimson Tide never trailed and was only briefly threatened en route to its fifth SEC tournament title.

Alabama destroyed Florida 10-1 this afternoon to complete the SEC regular season/tournament championship sweep for the second time in three years.

A 6-run third blew the game open. Jazlyn Lunceford and Kendall Dawson both hit 2-out home runs accounting for the final five runs of the inning.

Amanda Locke was the winning pitcher after coach Patrick Murphy rested ace Jackie Traina.

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