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Oh yeah. I do remember that now

According to current and former band members, the Marching Blazers were led to believe that they were travelling to the Bahamas Bowl and some even were trying to get passports, but Mark Ingram told them they are not going.

What is Ingram doing?! Using the band travel money as leverage for a new coach?! They travelled to the Bahamas Bowl in 2017, this is uncalled for.
The Marching Blazers didn't even get a chance to go to an away game this year because the bus company they were going to use to go to WKY had issues and had to cancel on them last minute.

C’mon, RayRay, dip into your discretionary fund and send the band and cheerleaders.

He ought to, but don't count on it. Supporting football isn't his thing.

To play Devil's Advocate, the band went in 2017 but that was the bowl after The Return. Of course they went all in on that one. Reward for the players and for the band kids who were out front of Admin serenading Punkinhead Ray.

(11-28-2022 10:07 PM)blazerblazer Wrote:  According to current and former band members, the Marching Blazers were led to believe that they were travelling to the Bahamas Bowl and some even were trying to get passports, but Mark Ingram told them they are not going.

What is Ingram doing?! Using the band travel money as leverage for a new coach?! They travelled to the Bahamas Bowl in 2017, this is uncalled for.
The Marching Blazers didn't even get a chance to go to an away game this year because the bus company they were going to use to go to WKY had issues and had to cancel on them last minute.

All I’m seeing is a bunch of vague commentary about what happened but not enough specifics. Who said they were going? Who said they weren’t? What guidance were they given directly besides “being led to believe”?

Comparing this year travel to 2017 doesn’t make any sense…totally different economy and climate. Not saying they can’t still go, I would just like more details on what happened besides the immediate gut reaction on Twitter, which could very well be warranted.

In 2017, the initial word was also that the band would not be going. Here's what I wrote five years and three days ago on this matter:

(11-25-2017 11:07 PM)58-56 Wrote:  

(11-25-2017 10:34 PM)Dracorex Wrote:  The football team should also consider the amount of work the band has put in. Our university will not be able to send the band to the Bahamas just like they weren't able to go to Hawaii.

I'm not going to be that upset if it is in the Bahamas. I just will be watching the game from my house in Bham.

This is an excellent point worth repeating. The band fought as hard for this as any of us; so did the spirit teams. They waited through two years just like the football players, hell, look at the majorettes. Those aren't girls, those are women. They worked to bring it back and then they worked on their own part of the program.

Football would not have been restored without the band nerds and spirit groups. They were the first on the barricades in December 2014. They should not be left home while Ray, Smithers and the gang treat themselves to a paid Bahamas vacation.

That's right. There will be a "UAB travel party" of admins - there always is. Don't think Ray is leaving himself off the list, I mean, $862,000 only goes so far.

(11-28-2022 01:34 PM)demiveeman Wrote:  Here's what Ingram said about players going to the portal during the coaching change on November 1st:

"I can appreciate that if a young person is going to...transfer and leave and go to another school they'd like to get there before the spring semester. I appreciate that, but we don't play games in the spring and I think the disservice they do to themselves when there's a transition is not giving the new person a chance and trying them on. Most schools that I know of, if you go into the portal, you get treated like you quit. And so, in a way...you have...you quit. For us, we wouldn't turn off your funding, your scholarship that will go until the end of the semester but hey man, you've got to clean out the locker. You've told everybody you don't want to be a part of this, so we can't have you creating defectors in the locker room. They still probably live with people on the team and still have friends on the team, but you get treated like you quit."

https://omny.fm/shows/the-matt-mcclearin...ark-ingram

I do agree completely with his perspective on that.

(11-29-2022 12:10 AM)demiveeman Wrote:  

(11-28-2022 10:07 PM)blazerblazer Wrote:  According to current and former band members, the Marching Blazers were led to believe that they were travelling to the Bahamas Bowl and some even were trying to get passports, but Mark Ingram told them they are not going.

What is Ingram doing?! Using the band travel money as leverage for a new coach?! They travelled to the Bahamas Bowl in 2017, this is uncalled for.
The Marching Blazers didn't even get a chance to go to an away game this year because the bus company they were going to use to go to WKY had issues and had to cancel on them last minute.

All I’m seeing is a bunch of vague commentary about what happened but not enough specifics. Who said they were going? Who said they weren’t? What guidance were they given directly besides “being led to believe”?

Comparing this year travel to 2017 doesn’t make any sense…totally different economy and climate. Not saying they can’t still go, I would just like more details on what happened besides the immediate gut reaction on Twitter, which could very well be warranted.

This. I'm thinking it was just overzealous band members assuming that they go to every bowl game. The Bahamas bowl is the only one that doesn't require a band because of how difficult it is financially and logistically. You have to have hundreds of nonessential personnel get passports and book hotels rooms in another (very small) island country, for the very first bowl game of the season, it's a nightmare. I'm bummed that the kids don't get to go, but this is usually the standard practice for the Bahamas bowl.

Yeah....just another stupid way for people to try to bash Ingram and the administration.

They may have to have the band go to suit up for the football team

(11-29-2022 02:36 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  They may have to have the band go to suit up for the football team

Yep I'm starting to wonder if we will even be able to field a team at the rate things are going.

(11-28-2022 11:54 AM)blazerblazer Wrote:  

(11-28-2022 11:48 AM)C-Finder Wrote:  RaJae Jonhson-Sanders (Troy) is going to the Sunbelt championship game

TJ III could have just stayed and became a grad assistant

Forgot about him! He is their main WR too. Putting up tons of yards. We underutilized him while he was here.

Troy won
One handed TD catch

(12-03-2022 09:52 PM)C-Finder Wrote:  

(11-28-2022 11:54 AM)blazerblazer Wrote:  

(11-28-2022 11:48 AM)C-Finder Wrote:  RaJae Jonhson-Sanders (Troy) is going to the Sunbelt championship game

TJ III could have just stayed and became a grad assistant

Forgot about him! He is their main WR too. Putting up tons of yards. We underutilized him while he was here.

Troy won
One handed TD catch

man, how did we manage to so underutilize that dude? (I know the answer)

FWIW, Miami isn't bringing our band either.

(12-05-2022 10:38 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  FWIW, Miami isn't bringing our band either.

Please don’t try to interrupt with reason, someone needs to play the victim.

(12-06-2022 12:08 AM)bftb Wrote:  

(12-05-2022 10:38 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  FWIW, Miami isn't bringing our band either.

Please don’t try to interrupt with reason, someone needs to play the victim.

No! It's a nefarious plan to bring down the football program. It just so happens Miami isn't bringing their band.

Or maybe Ingram may have said "we'll see" or " we might" and folks took it as "You're going".