Better to look ahead than behind for Tide’s “Big Three�

There are many schools in America that would love to have the records put up by the Alabama Crimson Tide football, men’s basketball, and baseball teams during the 2006-07 athletic seasons.

However, Alabama isn’t one of them.

It wasn’t exactly a disastrous year for the school’s three major sports teams, although collectively they went 0-for-5 in the postseason.

Despite losing to Auburn for the fifth straight year (and losing head coach Mike Shula in the process), the Tide did add to its record total of bowl appearances.

While injuries and personal tragedies kept Mark Gottfried’s men’s basketball team from finishing anywhere close to its preseason projections, the Tide did win 20 games and earn an NIT berth.

Just when you thought you had the Bama Baseball team figured out this season, they would immediately head the opposite direction. Still, Jim Wells’ team did finish at 15-15 in SEC play and earned another trip to the conference tournament in Hoover.

As stated earlier, there are schools that would pop champagne corks over a year like that.

In Tuscaloosa, that will get your fired at worst - second-guessed at best.

Those questions will likely be answered very positively in the next 12 months, starting with the gridiron.

The arrival of Nick Saban and his staff has brought a level of unprecedented excitement. Perhaps unprecedented hope would be a more accurate description. More than 92,000 overstuffed Bryant-Denny Stadium for a glimpse of the man who is expected to return the Tide to the nation’s elite. If he can catch some breaks with injuries (something with which Shula never had good fortune) and can survive a tough September schedule, Alabama could have a say-so in who wins the Western Division title.

The hardwood was a story of hard luck. If Gottfried possessed a horseshoe last season, it was certainly pointed upside down. Odds are, that won’t occur again in ‘07-’08.

For one thing, Ron Steele’s surgically repaired knees should allow him to return to the form that made him a pre-season all-American. It’s easy to play “what if�, after the fact. However, conservative estimates put a minimum of five more victories in the Bama win column with a healthy Steele at the point last season.

With all but Jermareo Davidson returning, and a talented freshman class added to the mix, there is no reason to believe this team can’t return to the NCAA Tournament picture and contend for titles within the SEC.

Baseball is the tough one to project. The only thing consistent about this season’s team was... its inconsistency. The pieces were there to make a better squad. The chemistry and toughness were not.

Emeel Salem, Brandon Belcher, and Greg Paiml will be gone, and Tommy Hunter could be (to the MLB Draft), as well. There will be holes to be filled by newcomers, and souls to be searched by the returnees.

If the team can take on the identity of Matt Bentley and Alex Avila, the Tide should be back in a Regional this time next year. History says Jim Wells won’t allow it to happen two years in a row.

While the past 12 months have been rocky for football, men’s basketball, and baseball, the future looks bright for all three.

If that promise if fulfilled, next year’s reviews will likely have the tone of “What a year� rather than “What happened?�
Chris Stewart writes a weekly column for Bamafever.com. Stewart is the play-by-play announcer for the Crimson Tide Sports Network’s broadcasts of Alabama Men’s Basketball, and assists in the call of Bama Baseball. He also hosts pre and post game shows for the network’s coverage of Crimson Tide Football, as well as working on the tape delayed and pay-per-view television broadcasts. Stewart also co-hosts a daily radio program with Ken “Snakeâ€� Stabler and Mike Grace. “The Ultimate Sports Showâ€� is heard on stations throughout Alabama. Bama Fever is a company devoted to providing University of Alabama Crimson Tide merchandise. We have stores in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa  and Huntsville and have now created an online catalog for Crimson Tide fans all over the world searching for that hard to find merchandise. We carry over 7,000 items in our stores and have posted many of these items right here in our online catalog.

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