As Gilda Radner's Emily Latella character on the original Saturday Night Live TV show in the 1970s used to say:
"Never mind."
Today in Tuscaloosa, our hero Jim Wells recanted his retirement. He will be the Alabama baseball coach for more seasons to come. Last Thursday, he stunned the college baseball world with his announcement that he was retiring at the age of 52, after 13 great years with Alabama following five sensational seasons as head coach at his alma mater, Northwestern State.
Today, he essentially quoted Emily Latella.
Knowing Jim, who has a zany sense of humor and was one of the campus clowns during his days as an undergraduate at NSU in the late '70s, it wouldn't surprise me if he actually did quote Radner's character when he met with the Alabama media Wednesday afternoon.
In a statement earlier in the day, Wells said as he got away from the job, he began to realize he really had rushed into a decision and wasn't ready to step away. Good for baseball, good for Alabama, good for NSU to have one of our own remaining among the most prominent and successful college baseball coaches in the country.
More than one former Demon who played for Wells has made the same comment to me this afternoon: look out, world, the Tide will be rollin' next year. It's not like Jim Wells to be anything less than firm in his decisions. He will be at his all-time best and any Tide player not ready to work harder than he ever has before, might as well check out other options prior to September.
Also, the unanimous view from this corner of Wells' world is expect Alabama to be a serious College World Series contender in 2008. He said as much to one returning pitcher in the weeks following the season, according to one newspaper report.
Jim Wells isn't one to make such statements casually.
Doug Ireland, SID
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Too bad for Tank, terrific for Tory Collins
Now we see why the NFC Champion Chicago Bears were so interested in Demons' defensive tackle Tory Collins.
Monday, the Bears said goodbye to troubled defensive tackle Tank Johnson, whose recurring brushes with the law were too much for the organization to tolerate any longer.
That is exactly what head coach Lovie Smith anticipated and exactly why he and the Bears brass was so eager to sign Collins after he wasn't chosen in April's NFL Draft.
Collins was impressive in mini-camp workouts and has clearly moved up in the Bears' pecking order. No guarantee he'll make the final 53-man roster, but no doubt his stock went up as Johnson's tumbled.
Here's what the Bears figured out that other NFL teams didn't: in last year's season opener at Kansas, Collins tore his biceps, and didn't tell anybody. He also started last year bigger than ever before so he wasn't quite as quick off the ball. As the season went on, he got back to his optimal playing weight, but he was still essentially playing one-armed, although it wasn't obvious. His production was down, but he still played well enough to earn first-team All-SLC, first-team All-Louisiana and All-America honors.
In January he had surgery on the biceps muscle. By May, he was turning heads in the Windy City. Who knows, by the end of the NFL's 2007 season, he may be cashing a Super Bowl check.
A telling footnote about "T.C." -- when he came back to NSU following the Bears' mini-camp, one of his first visits was with academic advisor for athletics Julie Lessiter, to thank her for what she's done for him, and to ask her to help him chart the course so he can complete his undergraduate degree.
This young man from New Orleans has been through incredible trials during his Demon days, with Hurricane Katrina wiping out his family's home and scattering them around the country; his older brother's sudden passing, inexplicably, after his safe return from service in Iraq; and the recent drowning of his friend, LSU star and New England Patriots player Marquis Hill.
He's been tested, and he still stands tall. Forget his considerable athletic ability, I think it's his heart that will assure Tory Collins makes it in the NFL, and more important, in life.
Doug Ireland, SID
Monday, the Bears said goodbye to troubled defensive tackle Tank Johnson, whose recurring brushes with the law were too much for the organization to tolerate any longer.
That is exactly what head coach Lovie Smith anticipated and exactly why he and the Bears brass was so eager to sign Collins after he wasn't chosen in April's NFL Draft.
Collins was impressive in mini-camp workouts and has clearly moved up in the Bears' pecking order. No guarantee he'll make the final 53-man roster, but no doubt his stock went up as Johnson's tumbled.
Here's what the Bears figured out that other NFL teams didn't: in last year's season opener at Kansas, Collins tore his biceps, and didn't tell anybody. He also started last year bigger than ever before so he wasn't quite as quick off the ball. As the season went on, he got back to his optimal playing weight, but he was still essentially playing one-armed, although it wasn't obvious. His production was down, but he still played well enough to earn first-team All-SLC, first-team All-Louisiana and All-America honors.
In January he had surgery on the biceps muscle. By May, he was turning heads in the Windy City. Who knows, by the end of the NFL's 2007 season, he may be cashing a Super Bowl check.
A telling footnote about "T.C." -- when he came back to NSU following the Bears' mini-camp, one of his first visits was with academic advisor for athletics Julie Lessiter, to thank her for what she's done for him, and to ask her to help him chart the course so he can complete his undergraduate degree.
This young man from New Orleans has been through incredible trials during his Demon days, with Hurricane Katrina wiping out his family's home and scattering them around the country; his older brother's sudden passing, inexplicably, after his safe return from service in Iraq; and the recent drowning of his friend, LSU star and New England Patriots player Marquis Hill.
He's been tested, and he still stands tall. Forget his considerable athletic ability, I think it's his heart that will assure Tory Collins makes it in the NFL, and more important, in life.
Doug Ireland, SID
Monday, June 25, 2007
Former Demon coaches making moves
Jim Wells and Eileen Schmidt made moves that made news last week.
The former NSU coaches left their current jobs, catching most by surprise, but making decisions that were perfectly understandable.
Thursday, Wells made what was to many a surprising call to retire after 13 seasons as the baseball coach at Alabama. Schmidt, after three years as softball coach at Kentucky, moved east to her alma mater, taking over as head coach at Virginia last Wednesday.
Wells' decision rocked the Crimson Tide nation and was one of the top topics in Omaha at the College World Series. Schmidt's move hadn't even been acknowleged as of Monday morning on the Kentucky web site or in the Lexington media, as far as I can tell, which is one excellent reason why she made a smart shift to UVA. Softball just isn't on the radar at UK, even though their athletic administration has been quite supportive. Considering the work she had invested, this could not have been a clear-cut decision for Schmitty.
She did a quite commendable job in her three seasons at Kentucky, although her record may not show it. My friends who watch LSU softball say that for the first time, the Wildcats have a legitimate SEC-caliber team, thanks to the work Eileen and former NSU assistant Melissa Inhouye have done in Lexington. To the UK administration's credit, they understood it was a long-term building project when they hired Schmidt away from NSU after the 2004 season.
Nonetheless, in the win-now or be-gone culture of "big time" collegiate athletics, Schmidt's shelf life at Kentucky was running short heading into her fourth season. It was probably going to be a pivotal year for her. At Virginia, she takes over an established program run by a friend and mentor of hers, Karen Johns, who retired. UVA is in a conference that top to bottom isn't nearly as tough as the SEC in softball, and for Eileen, it's her alma mater and she has identity there that she never would have anyplace else. She was happy at Kentucky but as she admitted, UVA is her dream job. Good for her - she's going to be happier and successful with the Cavaliers. If Inhouye isn't promoted at UK, look for her in Charlottesville as Eileen's assistant, continuing a tandem formed here at NSU.
BTW, Thomas Jefferson designed the core of the UVA campus. Charles Schultz, the cartoonist who gave the world Charlie Brown and the cast of Peanuts, lived on a mountain overlooking Charlottesville.
Coach Wells' decision to retire stunned many. He's still a young man, in his early 50s. Most people are convinced he will be back in coaching soon. He does love it, but it wouldn't surprise me if he goes into a business venture and never again sits in a college or pro dugout except as a special guest.
I believe he's about to be an all-world daddy to his three kids and he and Lisa will enjoy them growing up over the next few years. He deserves that chance, for sure. Wouldn't you do it if you could? Well done, on many fronts, Jim!
-- Doug Ireland, SID
The former NSU coaches left their current jobs, catching most by surprise, but making decisions that were perfectly understandable.
Thursday, Wells made what was to many a surprising call to retire after 13 seasons as the baseball coach at Alabama. Schmidt, after three years as softball coach at Kentucky, moved east to her alma mater, taking over as head coach at Virginia last Wednesday.
Wells' decision rocked the Crimson Tide nation and was one of the top topics in Omaha at the College World Series. Schmidt's move hadn't even been acknowleged as of Monday morning on the Kentucky web site or in the Lexington media, as far as I can tell, which is one excellent reason why she made a smart shift to UVA. Softball just isn't on the radar at UK, even though their athletic administration has been quite supportive. Considering the work she had invested, this could not have been a clear-cut decision for Schmitty.
She did a quite commendable job in her three seasons at Kentucky, although her record may not show it. My friends who watch LSU softball say that for the first time, the Wildcats have a legitimate SEC-caliber team, thanks to the work Eileen and former NSU assistant Melissa Inhouye have done in Lexington. To the UK administration's credit, they understood it was a long-term building project when they hired Schmidt away from NSU after the 2004 season.
Nonetheless, in the win-now or be-gone culture of "big time" collegiate athletics, Schmidt's shelf life at Kentucky was running short heading into her fourth season. It was probably going to be a pivotal year for her. At Virginia, she takes over an established program run by a friend and mentor of hers, Karen Johns, who retired. UVA is in a conference that top to bottom isn't nearly as tough as the SEC in softball, and for Eileen, it's her alma mater and she has identity there that she never would have anyplace else. She was happy at Kentucky but as she admitted, UVA is her dream job. Good for her - she's going to be happier and successful with the Cavaliers. If Inhouye isn't promoted at UK, look for her in Charlottesville as Eileen's assistant, continuing a tandem formed here at NSU.
BTW, Thomas Jefferson designed the core of the UVA campus. Charles Schultz, the cartoonist who gave the world Charlie Brown and the cast of Peanuts, lived on a mountain overlooking Charlottesville.
Coach Wells' decision to retire stunned many. He's still a young man, in his early 50s. Most people are convinced he will be back in coaching soon. He does love it, but it wouldn't surprise me if he goes into a business venture and never again sits in a college or pro dugout except as a special guest.
I believe he's about to be an all-world daddy to his three kids and he and Lisa will enjoy them growing up over the next few years. He deserves that chance, for sure. Wouldn't you do it if you could? Well done, on many fronts, Jim!
-- Doug Ireland, SID
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)