Best Wishes To All On Thanksgiving

Thank you, Rita Rodriguez. Okay, I should be nice today. It's Thanksgiving, and from all of us at 'BAMA Magazine and BamaMag.com and the entire Scout.com Media family we wish everyone a happy holiday.

Alabama followers have much to be thankful for, starting with the state of the Crimson Tide football team. A case can be made that there can never be enough thanks given to Bama Athletics Director Mal Moore for his perseverance in early 2007. After Rich Rodriguez reneged on his deal to come to Alabama has head football coach, Moore could breathe a sigh of relief as missing on someone he could not depend on.

Moore could then take one of two routes. The path of least resistance never occurred to him. He considered Nick Saban to be the finest football coach in the nation, and he suspected that Saban was not happy with his NFL experiment as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

The rest is history, and the Saban watch is proving bountiful for Alabama.

That doesn't eman winning every game, though the hope in every game is that Alabama will have a team that plays to its best. That will be good enough most days.

The thing to be thankful for is the manner in which Saban is building and rebuilding Alabama football. He has good coaches and they recruit good players. There is a support staff that improves the players in every way. It's not just talk. Saban is action.

Alabama fans are primarily football fans, but supporters of The University can be proud of everything from the president, Dr. Robert E. Witt, to winning the food drive.

Alabama is not at championship level in every sport, but the pieces are in place to get there. There are a few areas in which facilities upgrades will take place after football is taken care of with the expansion of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Men's and women's basketball comes next with the renovation of Coleman Coliseum and Foster Auditorium.

There's a never-ending commitment to excellence if Alabama coaches and athletes are to achieve at the highest level.

A facet of excellence is the Bama fan base. For that I join in being very, very thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.