Friday: a sound check, links

I know what you're thinking, and you're totally right: I've flaked out a little this week as far as the blog is concerned. Much like my favorite team, however, I'm a little weary. It's been a grind this past month, a lot of early mornings followed by late nights. I think my mother may have even forgotten what I look like.

Anyway, here's a half-hearted Friday in an attempt to make up for it — we'll start with a Derek Webb sound check.
(Important note: Peter von Herrmann is the man most responsible for turning me onto Caedmons Call, Bebo Norman and the genre of, for lack of a better term, Christian folk music. Anyway, one of the first CDs he ever played me of Caedmons was a special CD they sent only to members of their fan club, with special live cuts and bonus tracks. And one of the best tracks on that disc was entitled "Sound Check," which featured the guys a) talking about how awesome sound check is; b) screwing around during sound check on the system. So it's cool to see them back at it.)
(Another important note: I play basketball every week with a guy who looks just like Webb. Seriously.)



On with the links, then.
(One other important note: many of these links I found through Gentry Estes' link page yesterday. Hats off to you, sir.)

— Much of the off week banter has focused on the team's deficiencies, of course. First up: the passing game, which looked like gangbusters for a month and has since given way to ... um, whatever it's been the last three weeks (basically from the moment Greg McElroy went off about not forcing the ball to Julio Jones). The boys at RBR have a potential solution.
(You guys know you'd be better off just asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, right?)
— Unreported as a deficiency thus far: the defense's inability to punch itself off the field. Obviously, no one's going to fault the defense for anything: this last month, the defense has gone to an even higher level to keep this team undefeated. Nevertheless, if there is an improvement necessary, this is it.
Also, Dont'a Hightower "pretty much has a brand new knee." We who have suffered with knee injuries before salute you, sir.
— In other Alabama news, can Julio Jones cure cancer? The answer may surprise you.
(Left out of the little kid's comments: GET JULIO THE EFFING BALL!)

— Gimmicky columns for this week: Chris Low names the SEC's scariest players, and Tim Tebow's shortening career marks a good time to discuss Jesus & sports.
— Kevin Scarbinsky tackles Bobby Bowden & UAB. Wait, what?
— An interesting development over the last decade in recruiting: committed players acting as ambassadors for their eventual schools. Remember how some Alabama fans used the commitment of Will Oakley as a sure sign Tim Tebow was coming? Not only did Tebow NOT come, Oakley wound up largely an afterthought for four years (when he could stay on the field). Maybe it doesn't work as well when Mike Shula's involved.
— Tony Barnhart offers up his Friday Forecast.

— Finally, apropos of nothing, here's some trash-talk material about gymnastics.
Hey, Aubs, if you skeered, say skeered.