Optimism, Optimism, Optimism: A Revisited Feeling In Tuscaloosa

Optimism is "an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome". It is the philosophical opposite of pessimism. Optimists generally believe that people and events are inherently good, so that most situations work out in the end for the best.

I have read several articles from the National Media sources, Local Sportswriters and bloggers alike...there seems to be one common theme when writing about the Crimson Tide...Optimism.

Is this optimism or wishful thinking? Is Coach Saban's "process" finally taking hold in T'Town? Are the guys in Bristol, Connecticut over their inherent hatred of the storied program which fell from grace since Gene Stallings last took the '92 team to a National Championship?

I think Cautious Optimism may be more appropriate. I have seen the good, the bad and the really ugly sides of the Alabama Football Program. Since Coach Bryant's days have long passed and the Bama faithful have finally put the "We've got to hire someone in the family" mentality behind them, Alabama has fought through NCAA investigations and bad publicity to reach National prominence again.

The "process" has created a sense of optimism among the team, and fans alike. But as I watch each game, I still keep waiting for the big mistake. That heart dropping missed tackle—the blocked punt—some wayward pass that forces me to watch the opponent streak eighty yards to six points with thirty seconds left in the fourth quarter.

ESPN loves, more than birthday cake, to report the demise of "the undefeated," each week we watch highlights of the above mentioned big mistakes—over and over again. I suppose ratings are more important than the real story behind the game, or the team for that matter. But then, sneaking around the corner, waiting in the dark, hiding under the bed is optimism; suddenly the Three Stooges behind the desk say something positive about the men in crimson.

And then it spreads. The rumbling starts, the fans wake, televisions all across the southeast light up with positive analysis on game day. "Best Defense Since '92" they scream, "Never Seen Before in Tuscaloosa" they opine—is Alabama really good enough to beat any team brave enough to set foot on the field against them?

If the optimism coming out of Tuscaloosa is any indication, well, you can draw your own conclusion.