Before we get started, we’d like to wish a happy 50th birthday to James Bond the movie character. It was 50 years ago today that he made his debut. And while we had prepared something on it, Thursday was busy and the mailbag got stuffed rather quickly, so here’s the Reader’s Digest version: Connery was the best Bond; Daniel Craig (the current one) is pretty dang good. As for the best movie, well, there’s Dr. No way anyone could peg just one. Just know this, today is the 50th birthday of the most popular movie character ever.
From the “Talks too much studios” on to the mailbag…
From CelticVol
Mike Shula runs onto the field before Alabama’s game against the University of Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in this file photo.The Tennessee Vols are so close to getting over the hump. But will it be close enough for Tennessee fans? I got to thinking about something this past weekend and I wanted to hear what you had to say. Everybody wants to be where Alabama is at right now. They’re on top of the world. They get whatever player they want and I think you have to give Nick Saban 99.9% of the credit. Do you think Mike Shula left Alabama in as bad of a shape as Fulmer/Kiffin left Tennessee?
Of course everyone wants to be where Alabama is right now. Yes, Nick Saban deserves a huge amount of the credit – and his $5 million-plus pay check – for Alabama’s juggernaut, but the Tide were able to get atop the heap in two years under Saban in large part because of the groundwork laid by Mike Shula.
Shula left Alabama in a much more workable situation than what Derek Dooley inherited. In fact, the house of cards and smoldering ashes Dooley picked up is more comparable to the mess Shula got when he arrived at the Capstone. Remember, Mike DuBose had imploded in 2000 and was fired. Two promising years of Dennis Franchione were halted when Dennis bolted for his “dream job” at Texas A&M. Then Alabama hired Mike Price, who never coached a game before the scandal about his “extracurricular” activities and his famous exchange with a stripper in a hotel room: