A Sleeping Giant

Today, at clinic, I was working up a new patient with the whole history, physical, labs, medication review, and teaching session bit. While I see patients, I wear my white coat and I also wear an Alabama Crimson Tide pin on my left collar. Well, I get more comments about that pin than I originally expected and it is actually a great way to relate to all of my patients. Every once in a while, I get that obnoxious Auburn or Tennessee fan that is just looking to make me mad or poke fun at how downright awful Alabama has been over the past decade.

While I was completing my history and physical on this particular patient, he pipes up by saying, "Is that an Alabama pin you're wearing?!"

I reply, "Yes sir, It is. " Throughly interested, he says, "Where are you from?"

With a huge smile on my face, I say, "I am from Birmingham, Alabama. Are you an Alabama fan?"

After a little chuckle and sitting up nice and tall in his chair, he goes on to say, "Well, I'm afraid not. I'm a big fan of all that orange in East Tennessee. The University of Tennessee is where my allegiance lies."

Of course, it is taking all what I have not to get into a full fledged argument with this pleasant gentleman because he has clearly just made an incredible mistake of rooting for Tennessee. Fighting the urge to say something sarcastic, I politely say "Well, the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry is one of the greatest in the country."

And then he says something I never expected him to say, "To be honest with you m'am, I think Alabama is about to come out of that 'hole' that they've been in for the past few years. If i remember correctly, I think the saying is 'we have just woken a sleeping giant.'"

At this point, I'm grinning from ear to ear about to burst with all of the excitement that is building within me because of the ridiculously high expectations I have for the Alabama football program. I reply calmly, "I hope you're right, sir. It would be ashame to see poor results after all of the publicity and money that has gone into that program."

He goes on to say, "I am worried about playing Alabama. Very worried."

Well, I could have talked to that patient, or any patient for that matter, all day about college football and how we only have 63 more days left until College Football 2007 kicks off. But, if I want to pass this rotation, I decided that I better move along with my assessment and send the sweet man on his way with his refilled medications and some extra knowledge about his diagnoses.

I can almost taste the tailgating food and the cold beer in my mouth and waking up at 7 AM on gamedays because I'm too excited to sleep. College football season, at least in the South, is one of my favorite , if not my very favorite, time of the year. Growing up in Alabama and on SEC football, tradition and winning is all I was exposed to and what I grew to love.

As for this year, there is definitely an added sense of excitement due to all of the drama that has recently surrounded the 'Bama football program with the recent hiring of Nick Saban and a complete overhaul of our coaching staff, including the young and talented Major Applewhite as our creative, enthusiastic offensive coordinator. But, of course, with excitement always comes expectations and the expectations down on The Capstone have never been higher.



The Giant is no longer sleeping.