Dodging a pay-per-view bullet

By Chris Stewart


Pay-per-view games scare me.

It's not that I am scared of my broadcast assignment on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, which for the past several seasons has put me on the sidelines. I have perfected the "drop step" in order to avoid (at least thus far) getting clocked and winding up on somebody's blooper reel.

In fact, I love the chance to watch a couple of games from down on the field. It gives me an opportunity to see the game from a much different perspective than the one I usually have from the press box.

It's a unique opportunity to speak to an assistant coach or two before they put on the headsets and go to work. Such was the case Saturday for the Middle Tennessee game, as I shook hands with Dave Rader en route to the Coaches booth. I enjoyed shaking his hand, wishing him luck, and telling him to have some fun now that the "bullets" were back in his "gun".

You could tell by the look on his face that he was excited to have Brodie Croyle, Ken Darby, and Tim Castille available again as offensive weapons. That's something you don't get from the press box.

I love being down on the field to experience the electricity created by more than 80,000 Bama fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Few things can cause chills like the ones created when the Million Dollar Band's strikes up "Yea Alabama!" as the Tide rolls out of the tunnel. It is truly one of the greatest spectacles in college football.

As great as all that is, I still have concerns whenever there is a pay-per-view game. It's not that the opponent, at first glance, is usually all that difficult. With Alabama's national reputation, even during a period where we have struggled, if the opponent has any regional or national appeal at all, chances are pretty good that a cable or network outlet will pick up the game.

Yet I still sweat it out a little bit whenever there is a pay-per-view broadcast. And it's all because of history. MY history, specifically, whenever I find myself on the sidelines. I have unfortunately witnessed some disastrous losses up close and personal.

I was there to see Tim Rattay's backup throw a last minute touchdown to give Louisiana Tech a 29-28 upset of the Tide in 1999.

Central Florida's 40-38 win the following season? Yep, that was me…. microphone in hand wondering how it happened just like everybody else.

And of course I watched Alabama get upset 19-16 by a better-than-expected Northern Illinois team in 2003 - the final chance at a comeback snuffed out right in front of me.

So you can understand why I have more than a few butterflies when the networks aren't there, Crimson Tide Sports Marketing picks up the telecast, and I get shipped to the sidelines. The opponent may not have the biggest name, but as Gene Stallings loved to say, "If you don't think this game is big, just lose it. Then you'll find out how big it is."

Fortunately, Saturday's 26-7 win over Middle Tennessee wasn't a "big one". Instead, it was a good opening win. One that I believe will be the first of many this season for the Tide.

Now I can take that rabbit's foot out of my pocket.
 

Chris Stewart is the pre and post game host for the Crimson Tide Sports Network's coverage of Alabama Football. In addition, he hosts a talk show each weekday morning from 7 until 9 on Tuscaloosa's Sports Radio 1420, The Tusk. Stewart is also the radio play-by-play announcer for University of Alabama men's basketball.   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.

All University of Alabama merchandise is officially licensed and a portion of the proceeds go directly to the University.

Read all of Chris's 2005 Game Recaps