I can't say that every single thing in my life has gone according to plan. I can't even come close to saying anything along those lines. I can say that a large part of me is a passionate lover of sports and that, well for this calendar year, everything has been pretty perfect.

The 2008 football season was Alabama's 'come-back' year but ended in great disappointment with a loss to Florida in the SEC Championship and a loss to Utah in the New Orleans Sugar Bowl. However, once the sting of those two fateful losses subsided, the rest was nearly perfect.

Roy Williams and my beloved Tar Heels completely dominated the March Madness brackets and won the National Championship in April of 2009. This was shortly after Nick Saban and my beloved Crimson Tide raked in the top recruiting class in college football for the second year in a row. Living in a town where football is everything and the only other sport that gets a share of the limelight is baseball, I enjoyed the SEC fanhood of watching the LSU Tigers win the College World Series in Omaha.

Fall of 2009 rolled around and Alabama football stole the show with the second straight undefeated regular season. But this time, the undefeated part didn't end in Atlanta against Florida. The words of the taunting 'Rammer Jammer' cheer never fit more appropriately, "...We just beat the hell outta you!" It was pure bliss.

To top of the bliss with even more bliss was being in my Florida hometown and not having to defend Alabama with our tradition and excellence. This time, it was tradition, excellence, and undeniable domination of the Southeastern Conference, it's reigning conference champs, and "Mr. Football" himself. Then came the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Our sophomore running back from Flint, Michigan brought the University of Alabama it's first iron trophy in the program's history. So, no longer can we assume that O.J. Simpson was headed to Tuscaloosa in the white Bronco because no one would ever look for a Heisman winner there. Joke's over.

It gets better, and I think being on Cloud Nine hit me as I was on my cross-country flight to LAX Airport in Los Angeles. The Crimson Tide, for the first time in 17 years, was going to play for the National Championship. Our 13th National Championship. In the Rose Bowl. Against Texas. The stage couldn't have been more perfect!

We won. Number 13. And it was magical! We took another star quarterback completely out of his element because our defense hits harder than anyone else. If anyone tries to tell me that Alabama lacked any prestige or pageantry in that BCS National Championship just because Colt McCoy got hurt, then I'd like to have some very heated, personal words with you. It was no cheap hit. No Gerald Henderson punching Tyler Hansbrough's lights out. No, it was the Defensive Player MVP taking one solid "here's the Southeastern Conference for your Big 12 ass" hit. Texas' back-up quarterback Brantley Gilbert proved to be the next big thing in the subject of quarterbacks and gave Alabama a scare or two. Still, at the end of the game the confetti was flying in MY student section as MY fight song was sung like heaven's angels had opened up the pearly gates. We had died and gone to heaven.

And, to top it all off, the football loving fanbase in Tuscaloosa has always kind of adopted the New Orleans Saints as their NFL team. The state of Alabama has NO pro-teams in any sport whatsoever, so our 3 1/2 hour away French neighbor and her Saints gave us all another solid reason to cheer as they won their first ever Super Bowl against Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts. It's never fun to watch leaders like Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning lose a big game, some of them their biggest game, in their respectful careers.... but, this year, if you were a Tuscaloosa resident.... it was VERY fun.

So, there's my year in sports.... blissful, joyful, and allowingly arrogant.

Go Heels, Roll Tide, Geaux Tigers, and Who Dat!
BJJ