to be or not to be

(julio)

if you didn't see this post coming, well, welcome to my planet. my name is kevin o'kelley. i like alabama football. too much at times. my like is not unconditional, mind you. i find it harder to care when the team stinks (like the braves). i find it harder to play fanatic when a season's potential has been lost to a bad john parker wilson interception (or a chipper jones injury). i find it hard to swallow that even a probation-era-handcuffed alabama has lost to auburn six consecutive years. i know if alabama had kept it's nose clean that the whole "one for the thumb" nonsense never would have happened. hell, it never even would have been imagined. that's not to say that auburn would not have beaten alabama on the field in that span of six years. i am saying that, recruiting being on a level playing field, alabama doesn't lose six straight. but alabama didn't keep it's nose clean. and it was punished for it. it's a shame that institutional control is such a hard bear to tame, but when people care about a program (and it staying on top) like i care about alabama and those people have lots of money, the temptations to skirt the rules will always be around. here's hoping nick saban hammers those temptations down as hard as he does the every so often unsuspecting media joe that asks a silly question. my like, my love even, is not unconditional. i am a fairweather fan, including when it comes to those teams that i love the most. my like is not unconditional.

but my hope is.

and my hope (along with many other bama fans) is currently personified in one julio jones.

let's look at the facts.

julio...

...was first team parade magazine prep all-america.

...was first team ea sports prep all-american

...was scout.com prep all-american

...was rivals.com number one ranked high school prospect, state of alabama, in 2007.

...was rivals.com number four ranked high school prospect, country of usa, in 2007.

...was espn.com number two ranked high school prospect, country of usa, in 2007.

...attended the under armour prep all-american game.

...announced his decision to attend the university of alabama on february 6, 2008.

...was announced as starting wide receiver for the university of alabama on august 25, 2008.

the julio jones era at the university of alabama has now arrived. buckle. your freaking. seatbelts!

i can only imagine what it would be like to be even one person's hope personified. what an amazing weight that must be to carry. i don't know this young man. i've only seen him play once, and that was against over-matched high school competition. but i know what he means to every alabama fan that sees his being in tuscaloosa as the turn towards something completely new and completely traditional all at the same time. he means everything.

i've said this before, but today's announcement that julio would be starting come saturday night only further cements my theory. even if julio tears his acl on the way to the bus headed towards the georgia dome and never plays a down or never catches a pass or never becomes the first round pick he's destined to be doesn't matter now. what matters is that his signing and being on campus and living up to the hype (in saban's eyes) to the point of him starting on day one means the ball has bounced in a different direction. it means that one of the best players in the country picked alabama. and it opens the gate for other best players to follow his footsteps. it will now be up to saban, julio, the current team, future teams and the program, itself, to keep the momentum running in a positive direction, but make no mistake. alabama is again trending towards the top.

auburn fan or georgia fan or florida fan or tennessee fan or lsu fan can jeer now, sure. alabama is, absolutely, still below them on the totem pole that is the sec. but any fan of those schools that tells you or themself that they didn't shudder on the day that julio said he was coming is either lying or doesn't pay enough attention to matter. either one's a shame. for several years, alabama has been sliding down a mountain of ice shredding their nails to the quick trying to stop their own proverbial snowball from making it's way down the hill to irrelevancy. with his signature and arrival, julio, single-handedly stuck his pick in the glacier and said, "this is far enough. now, we head back up." for one young man, uniquely gifted in the athletic field that he has chosen, that is pretty damn impressive. enjoy this year, sec. maybe enjoy one more. barring alabama kicking themself in the teeth again anytime soon, the view at the top is about to be tinted crimson.

i can only imagine what it would mean to be one person's hope personified. if i play my cards right, though, i could very well be two. two little girls, one that turned one year old on saturday and one that inspired me to start this site, will one day look at me and their mother as the model for how they respond when they happen into a crummy situation(s). if i play my cards right, they will choose wisely and they will come out better persons for having made it through their crummy situation(s). that must and will be a heavy burden to carry. i suppose i am ready.

i can't dream of being like julio jones on the football field. not now. not ever. he is fast and athletic and an already great catcher of footballs. i am not.

i can dream of being someone's hope. hell, i can dream of being a lot of people's hope. shoot for the stars, right? and to that end?

to be or not to be julio?

i choose "to be."