Alabama Crimson Tide: Hope in the Midst of Destruction

It's been a while since I've been able to write. I had an attack of real life that has forced its ugly hand on me.

For those of us who live in Central and Northern Alabama, April 27th will not be a day we soon forget.  I am a Ham Radio operator, and they are useful during storm season because they work when regular phone lines and cell service die.

As I awaited the coming storm, I'd heard a massive tornado had torn through the heart of Tuscaloosa.   Having lived there for five years, I knew the street, I knew how dense that area is and I knew it was going to be bad. 

I didn't have time to worry about Tuscaloosa long.   Only minutes later I heard my father, also a Ham operator, on the storm spotter frequency.  He was in the basement and a tornado was right on top of him.  A few minutes later, he sent an additional transmission: The tornado had hit my hometown of Pleasant Grove.

My family has been through this before.  Many family members lost homes in Edgewater, Ala. after an F-5 twister in 1998.  I knew the police would lock down the town within hours and nobody would get in.  I threw my chainsaw in the truck and hunkered down; it was still headed my way.

The storm lifted over Birmingham and remained aloft as it passed over me, dumping pieces of roof on my property.  When it passed, I hit the road toward Pleasant Grove.

By now you've heard countless stories of the events of that night and the aftermath that continues, as I, like many, spent countless hours helping friends and relatives who have suffered.

The misery isn't going away any time soon either.  I was in Pleasant Grove again this Saturday helping a relative, and the town is still a disaster.  It's never going to be the same, nor will it for any of the towns that were hit on that fateful day.

Soon however, the media will find some other chew toy to play with, and the regular folks in Alabama will be alone with the task of recovery.  As the reality of recovery sinks further into weary bones, the people of Alabama will turn to their gridiron heroes for hope.

Alabama isn't a state historically blessed with wealth or fame.  Like many states in the south, it was devastated after the Civil War both physically and economically, and relative to states in the north, it never recovered.  

Long before I was born, people in Alabama turned to the Crimson Tide to bring a bright ray of hope to a dark and dreary reality, and now as much as then, they will look to Nick Saban and the hard-working young men who wear crimson to bring a smile and a mighty "Roll Tide" from our lips.  

It's more than just the current players. Many former Crimson Tide players were the first to come home and use their celebrity status to help Alabamians.  

Hollywood did not notice, except of course Charlie Sheen.  When he's the only one who cares enough to pay us a visit, what does that say about the rest of Hollywood?

But former Crimson Tide players were quick to respond with money and to use their status and fame to raise funds.

Thanks to the NFL lockout, many were actually staying in Tuscaloosa for unorganized workouts.  They were like everyone else, horrified by what they saw and digging through the rubble for survivors.  Storms like this for a time remove all designations other than the living and the dead.

These events were up close and personal for the current players. One, Carson Tinker, was badly hurt and his girlfriend killed.  Every player was affected.

Adding more reality, as if more was needed, was the untimely death of Aaron Douglas days later. This offseason has been like no other.

Most of us remember what it's like to be 21 years old thinking, "I'm going to live forever."  That's the case even more so for a physically gifted young man who gets a Division I scholarship.  Life, however, comes with no guarantee.  Hopefully, they will learn to cherish these special times in their lives as well as those around them that they love.

Players will begin arriving in a matter of days for early summer workouts.  They have been given much to think about.  Football isn't the most important thing in the world or their life.  But football is extremely important in Alabama.

It's important because for a brief time in their lives, they can make a real difference in the lives of thousands of people all over the state.  They can put a smile on a face that hasn't seen one in months,  they can make someone forget their obliterated house for just a while.  They can lessen the hurt of a lost love one,  if only for a moment.

This fall, that's going to be a big deal.

Alabama has never taken a shot like this from old mother nature, not in anyone's memory. It didn't help that it came on the heels of the worst oil spill in human history right on our shores.

Alabama people are fighters. Some wear crimson, while others wear orange and blue.  If they weren't, they would have moved somewhere else long ago.  Our football teams reflect who we are, and in the last two seasons, they reflect that we are all champions.