The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(08-10-2015 12:11 PM)EnviroBlazerD Wrote:  Turning football into a research opportunity for the medical school? Interesting idea. Good that Clark's going along with it too.

If that comes to fruition it would be a game-changer. I don't know of any medical school-athletics connection such as this at any other university. Seems like a pretty straight-forward thing to do. I'm surprised it has not been done(?) anywhere up to now.

Alan Collins ‏@fox6alancollins
Today Bham Mayor William Bell asked Bham City Council to put in city's $500,000 commitment to UAB Athletics back in Budget. Story at 6pm

It's Clark's idea. He has been working on it for months.

Shows how much into the university & program he really is.

Too bad the prez wasn't into it like that.

Pumpkin head wont be around to see UAB kick off. He will be hiding in retirement with his fat checks.

People getting mad at the city. Lol

(08-10-2015 12:19 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  

(08-10-2015 12:11 PM)EnviroBlazerD Wrote:  Turning football into a research opportunity for the medical school? Interesting idea. Good that Clark's going along with it too.

If that comes to fruition it would be a game-changer. I don't know of any medical school-athletics connection such as this at any other university. Seems like a pretty straight-forward thing to do. I'm surprised it has not been done(?) anywhere up to now.

Absolutely great idea if it happens

Alan Collins ‏@fox6alancollins
#freeuab Bham City Councilwoman Kim Rafferty says $500k contract for UAB Athletics not on Finance and Budget Committee today
#freeuab Rafferty a UAB alum wants contract for UAB to be sure Pres Ray Watts will bring program back and do what he says he will do

Still distrust in Ray Watts and his true intentions...

I like it

Damn right there is distrust. What has he done to earn any trust at all?

(08-10-2015 03:53 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  Alan Collins ‏@fox6alancollins
#freeuab Bham City Councilwoman Kim Rafferty says $500k contract for UAB Athletics not on Finance and Budget Committee today
#freeuab Rafferty a UAB alum wants contract for UAB to be sure Pres Ray Watts will bring program back and do what he says he will do

Still distrust in Ray Watts and his true intentions...

Alan Collins ‏@fox6alancollins 10m10 minutes ago Birmingham, AL
...Mayor Bell wants $500k commitment in this budget
...#freeuab good news committee chair Abbott says UAB money last item on agenda
...Rafferty says she has heard Watts is claiming UAB football donations not coming in fast enough Rafferty doesn't believe it
...Rafferty is also concern over UAB supporters believing UA system Bd working again against bringing football back

Alright I get that, but don't say it is on the agenda for the meeting and then say it wasn't. If worried about idiot pres and BoT members, then say it was tabled until X. It definitely hurts when not even the city will fulfill pledge due to worries of misuse and mistrust of administration. This feels like a weapon that can be used by the BoT, "Pledges weren't coming in (leaving out that most pledges were for the beginning of 2016) fast enough and the city reneged on their annual pledge too. We didn't have the financial backing that we were promised." Though, it will do some good if the council publicly states that it is withholding its pledge until the school shows full support of the team by doing X.

Yeah, I can understand our concern, and it's ok to be guarded against it, but to completely be paranoid is another story indeed. I don't believe the BOT is working again against bringing football back...at least, not yet. Depending upon what happens August 18th, I will form my judgment as to whether Ursa Minor's Sword of Damocles is about to fall again.

Also, as I was re-listening to the podcast, I noticed Clark say something interesting, "even if it's just conference opponents", referring to the 2016 Fall Season. Does that mean we might actually get to play a partial season in 2016!? And though we would not be bowl-eligible with NCAA, does that mean that we could even be eligible to make history by not playing enough games to be eligible for a bowl, yet competing for a C-USA championship!? This just got interesting indeed!

With this in mind, I am not changing my sig...for now!

I heard that to mean they were going through their weekly opponent preps for conference teams in preparation for '17, not that they'd line up and play them, but more to establish a game week routine.

(08-10-2015 04:20 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  

(08-10-2015 03:53 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  Alan Collins ‏@fox6alancollins
#freeuab Bham City Councilwoman Kim Rafferty says $500k contract for UAB Athletics not on Finance and Budget Committee today
#freeuab Rafferty a UAB alum wants contract for UAB to be sure Pres Ray Watts will bring program back and do what he says he will do

Still distrust in Ray Watts and his true intentions...

Alan Collins ‏@fox6alancollins 10m10 minutes ago Birmingham, AL
...Mayor Bell wants $500k commitment in this budget
...#freeuab good news committee chair Abbott says UAB money last item on agenda
...Rafferty says she has heard Watts is claiming UAB football donations not coming in fast enough Rafferty doesn't believe it
...Rafferty is also concern over UAB supporters believing UA system Bd working again against bringing football back

Alan Collins ‏@fox6alancollins 30m30 minutes ago Birmingham, AL
...UAB Pres Ray Watts puts gun to Bham put up $500k now. Watts sent Mayor Bell letter before budget vote saying he'd needed money now and 2016
...BREAKING Contribution to UAB passes

ALSO,...
Alan Collins ‏@fox6alancollins 27m27 minutes ago Birmingham, AL
...A fight breaking over second Deontay Wilder fight in Bham. UA System Bd of Trustees say no to Bartow Arena but city may use BJCC late Sept
...Huntsville and Tuscaloosa trying to get Wilder fight in late Sept. But Bham putting in strong effort to keep fight again in Magic City

Committee votes to pay city's first $500,000 UAB football pledge this year
http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index....tys_f.html

On Friday, Birmingham Finance Director Tom Barnett said the funding was not included in the current budget because the city had not anticipated that it would need to deliver on that pledge so soon.

In June, UAB President Ray Watts wrote a letter to Mayor William Bell and Council President Johnathan Austin explaining that the city's pledge was "absolutely critical" to relaunching the football, bowling and rifle programs.

"There is a lead time during the reinstatement process in which important investments are made in these programs to support coaches and coaching staffs, to recruit and train student athletes, to provide scholarship support for the student athletes, to rebuild the UAB Athletic brand of these teams as Birmingham's teams," Watts wrote.

He also noted that UAB needed the funding to begin this year because of costs related to the reinstatement process before a team takes the field.

"The business plan for the reinstatement of these sports and for the overall health of UAB Athletics is not viable without this level of support from the city, beginning in the upcoming fiscal year and running for five consecutive years," Watts wrote.

In a response to the letter, Austin assured Watts that the council would find the funding this year, but he cautioned that the commitment is contingent upon the programs' return.

Why the hell would the board say no to the fight? That's horseshit.

Glad the $500k passed. Still think it's bull that they are now demanding money by a certain time when that wasn't part of the original deal.

BOT still acting the same just like the insurance commercial where the fisherman is dangling the $1 bill saying you almost got it. Once we meet one of their goals they just come up w/ another out of thin air for no reason than spite/being the holes they are

Same old BoT. Goalposts are on wheels and move at will.

(08-10-2015 06:57 AM)Smaug Wrote:  

(08-09-2015 11:14 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  

(08-09-2015 08:52 PM)Smaug Wrote:  Yeah, like "They're really gonna kill football" around mid-November last year.

Buncha chicken littles.

Folks tried to warn y'all it could happen way before mid-November 2014.......ijs.

"Y'all"?

Hell, we've known it "could" happen for years. That's not the same thing.

I COULD win the lottery. Now tell me I WILL.

That's not true. Many here thought the program would never be shutdown. Some of those folks no longer post here. Water over the bridge now.