UAB Fans Need to Take a Seat

There was much moaning, groaning and gnashing of teeth when UAB president Ray Watts announced that the school would dissolve its football, rifle and bowling teams. You would have thought he canceled Christmas or Spring Break. The outcry was loud and often hate filled. I heard and read comments of what a travesty this was for the players, the coaches, the football program, the university and the city of Birmingham! While I certainly felt for the players who had committed to play football at UAB I did not share in the same level of outrage. My initial thought: "What took them so long?" The curious thing to me was who were these people performing this UAB football program passion play? More importantly, where have they been? If all the people protesting and crying over the loss of the football program had actually attended UAB football games there would have never been a problem in the first place. I must admit, I was never fond of the idea of UAB having a football to begin with. I thought it was an act in futility. There was already a college football program in town, Samford, that struggled to get people to attend...including its own students. Weekends in the state of Alabama mean Alabama Crimson Tide or Auburn Tigers games. Students at Samford were not attending the games of their own school in order to go watch the Tide or the Tigers. Or even worse, staying home and watching college football on TV. Why did UAB think it would be any different? Samford was competing in a lower classification and UAB was supposed to be competing on the same Division I level as the teams in the SEC? Preposterous! (And before you accuse me of being an Alabama or Auburn honk know that I am not an active fan of either. I grew up in Illinois where the Illini have a decent team about every 10 years or so.) When looking at the attendance figures UAB turned in to the NCAA, it barely met the minimum standard for staying on that level. Politics and the Board of Trustees aside, why would the university continue to support a program that was not consistently supported by attendance? Don't get me wrong, university president Ray Watts bungled this whole thing completely! So badly, in fact, that it will eventually cost him his job. So now the announcement has come that UAB Football will rise from the ashes! Two weeks ago Watts announced that the corporate and public outcry had been heard and like a Donald Trump covert plan to save the American economy, the promises and commitment of donors had breathed life back into the program! What Watts didn't tell us is how soon; or on what scale. Is Legion Field still the venue? How soon will they be able to be competitive? How patient and/or interested will everyone be with a rebuilding program? Who wants to watch that again? Bill Clark, the off again on again coach, will have an even harder time convincing a top tier athlete to believe the promises of major college football at UAB. Another question: Why would Clark even return? This is a train wreck that may never get back on the tracks again! Great pressure sits on UAB, Watts and Clark to Super Glue together a program that was blown up only a few months ago and has to be rebuilt using all new parts. In spite of all the pressure on them, there may be even more on another group. Those people who came to the street raising their collective voice in "righteous" indignation over the killing of the program. Big money must step up, as promised. More importantly, it is no longer an option for that very vocal contingent of fans to stand on the "sidelines". They can no longer support the UAB football program with their voices alone. They are obligated to make UAB THEIR team. When Georgia Southern began its football program it hired long-time Georgia assistant Erk Russell to be its head coach. Russell grew up in Birmingham and lettered in FOUR sports at Auburn. He define Georgia Southern as a football power in NCAA Division I-AA winning three National Championships. Russell would patrol the Georgia Southern campus where he would confront students wearing Georgia, Florida, Florida State or any other colleges paraphernalia. "Why", he would ask, "are you a student at Georgia Southern and rooting for another school?" Good question! I even heard stories of Russell threatening to rip a Georgia sweatshirt off a Georgia Southern student while on campus. That might be a little extreme but for the "Bring Back UAB" advocates, you have no choice! You have jumped on that bandwagon and you must ride it until the bitter end or ultimate victory. The talking has been done. Apparently corporate Birmingham has pledged financial support. UAB football will return or so we're told. Now that supporters have spoken up, it is now time for them to take a seat...in attendance at UAB football games. Let the marketplace dictate the outcome. It takes more than financial pledges and outraged fans to support a team. Actual support will be seen when fans put there fannies in the stands. If they don't, there won't be another comeback for UAB Football. Thanks for reading!

I'LL KEEP MY FORK

One year.  It is hard to believe that it has been a year since I re-married.  Along with getting a brand new wife, I added three step-children to my other three children.  We are now a blended family!  Well, as blended as you can be when four of the six live somewhere else and another is off to college most of the year.

On June 7, 2014 my new bride Penny and I spoke our devotion and vows to one another. It being my second marriage (hers too) I concentrated more thoughtfully and deeply on those vows than I ever had before.  Each word spoken by the pastor, her and myself was seared onto my mind.  This is the last time I plan on doing this and I wanted to get it right!

While our marriage is a covenant relationship with God and each other, we both knew this marriage would be different because of the children from our previous marriages.  Because of hurts and disappointments, none of which were of their doing, we felt that it was necessary to let each of our children know the depth of our devotion; not only to each other, but to each of them. 

"Today we have not only joined one another in marriage but we have joined our respective families as well. With that in mind, we would like to symbolize the blending of our two families.

Kristin, Jessica and Brian I will continue to be available to you and to love you unconditionally. You have been and will always be part of making me who I am everyday. You are not only my children, you are my life-long friends.

Margaret, Mary and Wesley, I welcome you to my family.  I promise to be fair and to be honest, to be available to you, and in due time, to earn your love, respect and true friendship.  I will not attempt to replace anyone, but to make a place in your hearts that is for me alone."

Then my new bride, Penny, spoke the same words and added comments about the tree of life and the grafting in of branches.  At that, we presented each of them with a necklace with the Tree of Life to symbolize the grafting of our family tree.

I feel great emotion a year later as I remember that special moment.  Later, back at the house, each member of this new family took turns pouring sand into a vase to further represent the blending of both families.  It is to remind us each time we look at it that we are all in this together.





The first year has flown by.  There are often times when I don't feel the sense of unity that the vase signifies.  It is not always easy to look at one another's biological child as our own.  There is still mine and yours and not enough ours.  But we work on it.  We talk and pray about it.  It is not something that happens instantly overnight.  However, the words, the pledge, the vow to our children are as serious as it was the day we made it.

In the past year, we have experienced with/for our kids: one daughter's wedding, another's engagement, a few trips to the ER, worry, rejoicing. rebellion, laughter, frustration, pride and lots and lots of prayer.  Yep, we are a typical family!

So why the title of this particular blog?  It is based on a story about a church potluck dinner.  The story has many different versions but here is mine:

 Every time after the main dishes were being cleared away at a church potluck dinner one of the gentlemen urged everyone to "Keep your fork; the best is yet to come."  He was referring, of course, to dessert.  He was consistent with this statement each and every time the church gathered to share a meal together.  "Keep your fork; the best is yet to come."

One day the gentlemen passed away and as his friends and family gathered to pay their condolences at the funeral home a lady looked down at his body in the coffin. There in the breast pocket of his burial suit was a fork.  The lady turned to his son and ask the reason for the fork.  The son's face broke into a smile. "You remember all those potluck dinners?  You see, Dad knew that death was not the end and the fork is to remind us that 'the best is yet to come.'"

You may find that story sappy and that is okay.  But as I look back over the past year I know I want to hold on to my fork...Happy Anniversary Penny....the best is yet to come!

Thanks for reading!

Jeff