Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
A few weeks his father passed away. He's with al
(00:02):
dot com. He's one of our best. He is the
guy Ben Thomas with al dot com at Ben Thomas
Preps on apps. Good morning, Ben, Hey, good morning. How
you got good man? How you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Bud doing okay?
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Well? Good by.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Trying to get back into the swing of things today
after I walked a little bit last week, but mostly
kind of been out of the loop for a little while.
So trying to get back in the swing of things here.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
I told Jeff half Ben Thomas is one thousand percent
better than one hundred percent of everybody else, So there
you go. Come on now, man, I'm sorry about your father.
I know that's absolutely both of us have lost ours
and Jeff's lost his mom. I haven't lost my mom,
thank the good Lord. But we've certainly been thinking about you, buddy,
as you know.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, I mean it's been uh, you know, and as
you guys know, it's been kind of a four month
deal since Dad was diagnosed with a suppagus cancer right
around Thanksgiving and we didn't know, you know, how long
we'd have with him. He came home on hospice and
you know, they kind of said that it would be
maybe two months, probably wouldn't see February. Well, you know,
(01:11):
God granted us too more. He doubled that. He died
last Saturday, March twenty ninth, fairly peacefully, which was our prayer,
you know, if he had to go. He's ninety two,
loved a good life, love Jesus, loved his family. But
(01:31):
it doesn't make you know, you think, you know, since
we've had time to know it's coming, you know, you think, well,
I'll be ready for him, but he can't be ready
for that. Can't be ready not to have your dad.
But we've seen God's grace and all of it, and
you know where I know where he is, and I'll
(01:52):
see him again one day. And right now we just
have to go on the tomorrow. My parents would have
been married sixty three year years. Wow, So he died,
you know, we can have short of a sixty third anniversary.
But pel City High School proud, pel City High School panther.
I think we thought that he was maybe the last
(02:15):
living pel City football player, the oldest pel City football
player until he passed away. So I'm graduated in nineteen
fifty from pel City High School. Steve mask Our buddy
sent him a Pearl City shirt when he was coach
up there, and he wore that thing proudly.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Now about that. That's awesome, Old Steve. People do some
good things.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
That's awesome, you know he's proud of That's a nice note.
And my mom said they don't want that. Sure, I said, no,
let's just keep that in the closet for now. But
I do have a pel City letter from nineteen fifty.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
How about that. That's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Sure, I think about him every day.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Well you should, that's awesome, you will. I can tell
you that. Well, I hate it happened, y'all through a lot.
I know you, like I tell you, enjoy all that
time you had, and you did have some extra time
with him so that you knew it was coming. But no,
I don't think he can ever be prepared. I don't,
you know, as far as that goes.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
You know, and I traveled back and forth, you know,
one of us. I have two older brothers who lived
in a fair proximity he lived and he lived in Gainesville, Georgia,
which is about six or seven hours from here, and
so I've probably traveled there ten or twelve times, you know,
in the last four months to be with him, and
nothing was left unsaid. You know, we talked about how
(03:32):
much we loved each other and how blessed we were,
you know, and I told I was able to I
was blessed to be able to gave me the courage
to stand up and speak at his celebration of life
on Friday. And you know, one thing I wanted to
tell people was, you know he had my dad had.
Of course, he was ninety two. You know, he was
blessed with a long life, but he had some ail months.
(03:52):
I mean, he hadn't make their degeneration and you know, couldn't.
He wasn't completely blind. He moved around a little bit,
but basically he didn't see much. She had to rap
at thee in his hands, couldn't feel a whole lot. Obviously,
he had a tumor into esophagus. So for the last
four months he had no solid foods. I mean imagine that.
I mean he was living on carnation. It's to breakfast,
(04:16):
you know, boost and soup and broth and stuff that
you'll you wouldn't really want to wish on your worst enemy.
And but oftentimes I would leave the room when I
would hear him talking to Jesus. And you know what
I found is that he when I heard him, he
wasn't asking the Lord to take that stuff away. He
was thinking for his blessings for his family. Yeah. I
(04:40):
thought that was a pretty powerful testimonies about it, as
did want to think Denmark, you wouldn't believe her. Maybe
it wouldn't. The people that have reached out to me
and a half, all kinds of coaches from all over
the state, Steve Savarees Heath Harmon, you know obviously you guys,
I mean you a lot of people who never knew
(05:02):
my dad but knew me, and I had a big
we had a big, good size service for him. My
pastor drove up from Daphne. That was really meaningful for me. So, uh, anyway,
that's uh, that's where we are, and so now we
try and get back realize what a new normal is.
It's something we've done a couple of times the last year, unfortunately,
(05:25):
but we'll we'll get through it. God'll be with us
and and we'll move on and figure out how to
take care of my mom the best way we can
and move on from me.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Yeah, you're right, I hate you went through that Ben.
It's tough. It's tough, but you know, getting back to
high school sports would probably do you a little good,
if that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, I think so. I mean I hadn't been totally
out of it, but we got the big mister basketball
bank were coming up next Thursday, so kind of give
back and make sure everything. I mean, I'm back now.
We got back. By the way we drove back, it
may have been the worst trip I've ever made yesterday.
I mean it was we drove from from Gainesville, Georgia
(06:03):
to Daphney, Alabama. It didn't quit rain hardly at all.
I mean it was pouring down, rain, down straight down
eighty five to sixty five. And when we got the
APT Moore to Daphney, it was like you could barely see.
And then we got close to home. We think we
all almost made it. We had to find a road
we could take to get home because some of them
(06:24):
were flooded out down here. It was that was what
they call a gully washer. Yesterday, so crazy. But I'm
back now and back home, and like I said, making
plans for the Sinster basketball banquet and Montgomery on the seventeenth, mister,
and this basketball banquet.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Can't leave out team, leave out the Mizzes.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
So we'll celebrate that and then we'll get ready for
the you know, the playoffs and all these springs sports
coming up.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Oh, we got a bunch too, being they're all jockeying,
you know, a lot of them are finished. We've got
least got in glenn Wood locally, those two are in
the in the baseball final. Softball is still going under way,
you know. But it's just interesting how it. Of course
seven a ere we got a big series this week.
Opl like and Auburn oplack won their first series I
think in nine straight series is in the area play
(07:13):
okla like and won their first They beat Smith Station
last week and Auburn got was swept by Central, So
some interesting. Yeah, it's some interest. Opla Like and Auburn
play this week in Central and Smith. So Central's undefeated
o'plaq and Smiths or one in one, but Smith's lost
OPLAC in game three, so oplaq is in second place,
Smiths in third, Auburn is in fourth place. About that, you.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Know, yeah, that's all to get the area. It's a
good baseball area. Obviously, Central, Central and Auburn have both
won the seven eight title in recent years and always
have have good players. Of course without coach Simo, it's
a little bit different up there, I realized, But uh,
it's you know, we'll be you know, they got it.
There's so many spring sports. Everybody asked, you know, it's football,
(07:58):
the toughest, toughest eating for you. Really not, it's really
the spring because there's so many different sports going on. Baseball, softball, soccer, golf, tennis,
you know, so many different things happening, and they're all
trying to finish, you know, before before school finishes. So
but we'll be we'll be ready for you know, I'll
be up in Jacksville for the baseball finals and have
(08:19):
somebody's softball and try and cover all those things the
best we can. But I'm excited to get back in
the mix.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, I know. You're Ben Thomas with us AL dot
Com going over a little high school sports now, being
we still got a football coach here in Smith Station
that has not been hired. There. Principal Adam Johnson has
told me they will be ready to come board meeting
this month, but they've had a tough time. My friend
at Ope I just hired an ad Auburn High looking
(08:46):
for an athletic director. Look, probably getting close to name
there athletic director. So still got a football job. I
think there's a couple others, or there's any others opening
big jobs.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Yeah, as far as we know Viger.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Viger, we're not gonna hire anybody to August. Now, that'd
be do something out.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Of there, that'd be crazy.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
You know, I thought they might hire somebody. You know,
at the last board meeting where they hired Sherman Williams
to be the Murphy coach, I thought they might go
ahead and have a buyer coach in. But they did not.
You know, they had they had a coach they were
getting ready to hire and that didn't work out. So
I think they had to start over. But they come on,
they got to get something, you know, when I just
(09:23):
feel bad for the kids. I mean, I know you've
got some assistants in they're probably working them out stuff.
But you know, let's get a coach hired and and
move on. I think I don't know that we've talked
about Sherman Williams being hired.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
We have not.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
We have not that was interesting hire. I thought the
man I like Sherman. I mean, you certainly had a
challenging past, I guess you would say, but has given
back to the community for the last fifteen years really,
and we'll see. I mean, I know there was some
some a little bit of controversy around there, but that'll
be an interesting because Murphy's obviously, you know, they were
(09:59):
one historic and proud program and now in the last
couple of years, it's you know, I've been tough to
one two or three games a year. Of course they
play in the same region with sarah Land and Spanish
Ford and Theodore and Blood and all those teams. But
you know, we'll see if Sherman can get a turn
around there. He's certainly a mobile legend.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Yeah. I know, I did have some people say something
about his past, and I'm like, hey, you know, I
don't want to go down that road. I just you know,
he's done a lot of good down there. I know,
I'm kind of like what you said, Ben, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
You know, he and he and David Palmer got together
and formed that Palmer Williams Group, which is given back
to kids all over the state. So but you know,
I understand their concern I mean, I understand you spend
fifteen years incarcerated.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Well that's kind of what I yeah, I know that's.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
A concern, but you know, I like Sherman. I think
he has turned his life around. I mean, he's pretty evident,
and we'll see if he can turn his Murphy football program.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
You know what, it's a good testimony. Maybe it's one
of it's a it's a good testimony if everything's right
being you know, I'm not the judge or the jury,
so that's true.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I mean, he can tell those kids, you know, he's
got real life experience of doing the wrong doing the
wrong thing. He can tell those kids, what you know,
you do this, and this is what happens at up front.
So I'm sure he'll do that and I think lives
will be changed over there, and we'll see if if
the football program can be changed. Murphy is one of
(11:30):
the Murphy is kind of landlocked in downtown in the
downtown Mobile area, not right downtown, but kind of just
off downtown. So they're one of the I guess, the
only Mobile County public school that didn't get a new stadium,
that didn't already have a stadium. They're still going to
play it at LADD, which will be cool. I think
they're going to do some stuff to ladd to make
(11:51):
it kind of Murphy's own stadium. But you know, they
couldn't really get a stadium in there because they got
a neighborhood all around them.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Yeah. I was gonna say, isn't that the one that all? Right?
Where is that stadium located at by downtown or yeah?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
I mean not, it's off Carlon Street. I mean it's about,
you know, a mile from mcgiltoo, and I mean they're
right there, close to you.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
I think my daughter lives right next to that stadium,
close in in a big gated yes. Yes, yeah, I
thought that was their stadium right there. Being it's a lot, right,
I mean, they don't have room to grow at all
in that place.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
I mean there's there's people, there's houses all around.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
All around it. Yeah, and a big highway on the
other side, right or a full lane road just a
full not a highway, just a busy road. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, it's it's houses all around there, so there's really
no room. I mean you could put a I guess
you could put a stadium where the practice field is,
but then you wouldn't have any park, would you park yeah,
you don't have much parking. Now, it's tough enough to
go to a basketball game there. But it's but you
know the flip side, is it is work. I mean
(13:00):
it's an old.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
School okay, yeah, is it historic mark or there? Maybe yeah?
I think yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. Man. I
didn't even think about that part of it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah. So we'll see what he does. I think the
Sam Williams higher at UMS, right, it's going to be
really intriguing to see how that goes. I mean, anybody
that's going to volun Terry Curtis is gonna certainly have
a challenge, but he's, uh, he's going to do it
a different way, and I think he's you know, he told,
I think at his opening press converse, this is the
(13:35):
guy they hired from Mississippi, a young real young guy,
seem really sharp and uh, you know where he was
in Mississippi they played for state title three in the
last four years. And when at his opening press conference
he said, you know, we would have had like seven
Division one prospects coming back, you know, but this was
important for me to come. Well, he doesn't have seven
Division one prospects coming back at UMS, right, unless unless
(13:59):
there's somebody moving then and I don't know if that's
the case.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
So it'll be.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
You know, he's in there. He's in that five A
region with Viger and Williamson that all have athletes. So
it's going to be fun to see the change in
styles and how it works out for you mess.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
You know what, he had that many starters coming back
D one and left money talks.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Ben. Yeah, Well, I think for him is and he
mentioned this. You know, he's got three young kids, and
I think all the ums education and how how nice
that would be. You know, this is Mississippi guy. I
mean he's not in Alabama.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Oh no, I read all about him. Yeah, he's native Mississippian.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Yeah, and he's uh, I think what thirty.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
He is a I don't think he's forty yet, Ben, No.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
He's in his thirties for sure. So so it's not
a guy who's you know, retiring in coming to Alabama
a double dep you know, he's he's coming in. I
think that the US education had a had a large
uh you know, it was a large part of that.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Now. I think you're right, it'll be interested in this
see how it goes and anything else. Ben we're wrapping
up our We're doing our Player of the Year back
bracketing the girls and boys where we vote, vote off
and we're down to the uh, we're about to be
down to the finals of both the girls and the boys.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
So early next week before we name mister basketball Miss Basketball,
we'll have our AL dot com Players of the Year.
But voting will be open for that for the boys
final today all week and the girls final tomorrow all week,
so look for that. And also, uh, we started doing
some some neat stuff with our newsletters on Thursday. If
you're not subscribed to we have Huntsville Mobile and Birmingham.
(15:41):
But but but there's interesting thing for people all across
the state. We have trivia in there, sound off, some
photos of the week, different different things. So if you're
not subscribed to that, go to al dot com Backslash
Newsletters and I think you'll find that to be a
fun read on Thursday afternoons.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
That different than the subscription for for al dot COM's
regular subscription.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
If if you subscribe to Warren, you get the other I.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Mean, I'm just saying, is it the same as the
paper though we have to have another subscription because we
have it.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
No, you should get the newsletter. Just sign up for it.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
That's what I thought. Yeah, now we are okay, just
making sure. Oh you know we hear at our heart.
We got it covered, big man, We got it cover.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Well.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
God bless you, Ben, Thank you, buddy. Sorry for what happened.
But we've been praying for and we'll continue to pray
for you. Okay, buddy, I appreciate you guys, Yes sir, yes, sir.
Being hang in there, buddy, you got a lot of
people praying for you. You know that. All right, there's Ben Thomas,
a
A few weeks his father passed away. He's with al
(00:02):
dot com. He's one of our best. He is the
guy Ben Thomas with al dot com at Ben Thomas
Preps on apps. Good morning, Ben, Hey, good morning. How
you got good man? How you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Bud doing okay?
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Well? Good by.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Trying to get back into the swing of things today
after I walked a little bit last week, but mostly
kind of been out of the loop for a little while.
So trying to get back in the swing of things here.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
I told Jeff half Ben Thomas is one thousand percent
better than one hundred percent of everybody else, So there
you go. Come on now, man, I'm sorry about your father.
I know that's absolutely both of us have lost ours
and Jeff's lost his mom. I haven't lost my mom,
thank the good Lord. But we've certainly been thinking about you, buddy,
as you know.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, I mean it's been uh, you know, and as
you guys know, it's been kind of a four month
deal since Dad was diagnosed with a suppagus cancer right
around Thanksgiving and we didn't know, you know, how long
we'd have with him. He came home on hospice and
you know, they kind of said that it would be
maybe two months, probably wouldn't see February. Well, you know,
(01:11):
God granted us too more. He doubled that. He died
last Saturday, March twenty ninth, fairly peacefully, which was our prayer,
you know, if he had to go. He's ninety two,
loved a good life, love Jesus, loved his family. But
(01:31):
it doesn't make you know, you think, you know, since
we've had time to know it's coming, you know, you think, well,
I'll be ready for him, but he can't be ready
for that. Can't be ready not to have your dad.
But we've seen God's grace and all of it, and
you know where I know where he is, and I'll
(01:52):
see him again one day. And right now we just
have to go on the tomorrow. My parents would have
been married sixty three year years. Wow, So he died,
you know, we can have short of a sixty third anniversary.
But pel City High School proud, pel City High School panther.
I think we thought that he was maybe the last
(02:15):
living pel City football player, the oldest pel City football
player until he passed away. So I'm graduated in nineteen
fifty from pel City High School. Steve mask Our buddy
sent him a Pearl City shirt when he was coach
up there, and he wore that thing proudly.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Now about that. That's awesome, Old Steve. People do some
good things.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
That's awesome, you know he's proud of That's a nice note.
And my mom said they don't want that. Sure, I said, no,
let's just keep that in the closet for now. But
I do have a pel City letter from nineteen fifty.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
How about that. That's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Sure, I think about him every day.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Well you should, that's awesome, you will. I can tell
you that. Well, I hate it happened, y'all through a lot.
I know you, like I tell you, enjoy all that
time you had, and you did have some extra time
with him so that you knew it was coming. But no,
I don't think he can ever be prepared. I don't,
you know, as far as that goes.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
You know, and I traveled back and forth, you know,
one of us. I have two older brothers who lived
in a fair proximity he lived and he lived in Gainesville, Georgia,
which is about six or seven hours from here, and
so I've probably traveled there ten or twelve times, you know,
in the last four months to be with him, and
nothing was left unsaid. You know, we talked about how
(03:32):
much we loved each other and how blessed we were,
you know, and I told I was able to I
was blessed to be able to gave me the courage
to stand up and speak at his celebration of life
on Friday. And you know, one thing I wanted to
tell people was, you know he had my dad had.
Of course, he was ninety two. You know, he was
blessed with a long life, but he had some ail months.
(03:52):
I mean, he hadn't make their degeneration and you know, couldn't.
He wasn't completely blind. He moved around a little bit,
but basically he didn't see much. She had to rap
at thee in his hands, couldn't feel a whole lot. Obviously,
he had a tumor into esophagus. So for the last
four months he had no solid foods. I mean imagine that.
I mean he was living on carnation. It's to breakfast,
(04:16):
you know, boost and soup and broth and stuff that
you'll you wouldn't really want to wish on your worst enemy.
And but oftentimes I would leave the room when I
would hear him talking to Jesus. And you know what
I found is that he when I heard him, he
wasn't asking the Lord to take that stuff away. He
was thinking for his blessings for his family. Yeah. I
(04:40):
thought that was a pretty powerful testimonies about it, as
did want to think Denmark, you wouldn't believe her. Maybe
it wouldn't. The people that have reached out to me
and a half, all kinds of coaches from all over
the state, Steve Savarees Heath Harmon, you know obviously you guys,
I mean you a lot of people who never knew
(05:02):
my dad but knew me, and I had a big
we had a big, good size service for him. My
pastor drove up from Daphne. That was really meaningful for me. So, uh, anyway,
that's uh, that's where we are, and so now we
try and get back realize what a new normal is.
It's something we've done a couple of times the last year, unfortunately,
(05:25):
but we'll we'll get through it. God'll be with us
and and we'll move on and figure out how to
take care of my mom the best way we can
and move on from me.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Yeah, you're right, I hate you went through that Ben.
It's tough. It's tough, but you know, getting back to
high school sports would probably do you a little good,
if that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, I think so. I mean I hadn't been totally
out of it, but we got the big mister basketball
bank were coming up next Thursday, so kind of give
back and make sure everything. I mean, I'm back now.
We got back. By the way we drove back, it
may have been the worst trip I've ever made yesterday.
I mean it was we drove from from Gainesville, Georgia
(06:03):
to Daphney, Alabama. It didn't quit rain hardly at all.
I mean it was pouring down, rain, down straight down
eighty five to sixty five. And when we got the
APT Moore to Daphney, it was like you could barely see.
And then we got close to home. We think we
all almost made it. We had to find a road
we could take to get home because some of them
(06:24):
were flooded out down here. It was that was what
they call a gully washer. Yesterday, so crazy. But I'm
back now and back home, and like I said, making
plans for the Sinster basketball banquet and Montgomery on the seventeenth, mister,
and this basketball banquet.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Can't leave out team, leave out the Mizzes.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
So we'll celebrate that and then we'll get ready for
the you know, the playoffs and all these springs sports
coming up.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Oh, we got a bunch too, being they're all jockeying,
you know, a lot of them are finished. We've got
least got in glenn Wood locally, those two are in
the in the baseball final. Softball is still going under way,
you know. But it's just interesting how it. Of course
seven a ere we got a big series this week.
Opl like and Auburn oplack won their first series I
think in nine straight series is in the area play
(07:13):
okla like and won their first They beat Smith Station
last week and Auburn got was swept by Central, So
some interesting. Yeah, it's some interest. Opla Like and Auburn
play this week in Central and Smith. So Central's undefeated
o'plaq and Smiths or one in one, but Smith's lost
OPLAC in game three, so oplaq is in second place,
Smiths in third, Auburn is in fourth place. About that, you.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Know, yeah, that's all to get the area. It's a
good baseball area. Obviously, Central, Central and Auburn have both
won the seven eight title in recent years and always
have have good players. Of course without coach Simo, it's
a little bit different up there, I realized, But uh,
it's you know, we'll be you know, they got it.
There's so many spring sports. Everybody asked, you know, it's football,
(07:58):
the toughest, toughest eating for you. Really not, it's really
the spring because there's so many different sports going on. Baseball, softball, soccer, golf, tennis,
you know, so many different things happening, and they're all
trying to finish, you know, before before school finishes. So
but we'll be we'll be ready for you know, I'll
be up in Jacksville for the baseball finals and have
(08:19):
somebody's softball and try and cover all those things the
best we can. But I'm excited to get back in
the mix.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, I know. You're Ben Thomas with us AL dot
Com going over a little high school sports now, being
we still got a football coach here in Smith Station
that has not been hired. There. Principal Adam Johnson has
told me they will be ready to come board meeting
this month, but they've had a tough time. My friend
at Ope I just hired an ad Auburn High looking
(08:46):
for an athletic director. Look, probably getting close to name
there athletic director. So still got a football job. I
think there's a couple others, or there's any others opening
big jobs.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Yeah, as far as we know Viger.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Viger, we're not gonna hire anybody to August. Now, that'd
be do something out.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Of there, that'd be crazy.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
You know, I thought they might hire somebody. You know,
at the last board meeting where they hired Sherman Williams
to be the Murphy coach, I thought they might go
ahead and have a buyer coach in. But they did not.
You know, they had they had a coach they were
getting ready to hire and that didn't work out. So
I think they had to start over. But they come on,
they got to get something, you know, when I just
(09:23):
feel bad for the kids. I mean, I know you've
got some assistants in they're probably working them out stuff.
But you know, let's get a coach hired and and
move on. I think I don't know that we've talked
about Sherman Williams being hired.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
We have not.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
We have not that was interesting hire. I thought the
man I like Sherman. I mean, you certainly had a
challenging past, I guess you would say, but has given
back to the community for the last fifteen years really,
and we'll see. I mean, I know there was some
some a little bit of controversy around there, but that'll
be an interesting because Murphy's obviously, you know, they were
(09:59):
one historic and proud program and now in the last
couple of years, it's you know, I've been tough to
one two or three games a year. Of course they
play in the same region with sarah Land and Spanish
Ford and Theodore and Blood and all those teams. But
you know, we'll see if Sherman can get a turn
around there. He's certainly a mobile legend.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Yeah. I know, I did have some people say something
about his past, and I'm like, hey, you know, I
don't want to go down that road. I just you know,
he's done a lot of good down there. I know,
I'm kind of like what you said, Ben, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
You know, he and he and David Palmer got together
and formed that Palmer Williams Group, which is given back
to kids all over the state. So but you know,
I understand their concern I mean, I understand you spend
fifteen years incarcerated.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Well that's kind of what I yeah, I know that's.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
A concern, but you know, I like Sherman. I think
he has turned his life around. I mean, he's pretty evident,
and we'll see if he can turn his Murphy football program.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
You know what, it's a good testimony. Maybe it's one
of it's a it's a good testimony if everything's right
being you know, I'm not the judge or the jury,
so that's true.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I mean, he can tell those kids, you know, he's
got real life experience of doing the wrong doing the
wrong thing. He can tell those kids, what you know,
you do this, and this is what happens at up front.
So I'm sure he'll do that and I think lives
will be changed over there, and we'll see if if
the football program can be changed. Murphy is one of
(11:30):
the Murphy is kind of landlocked in downtown in the
downtown Mobile area, not right downtown, but kind of just
off downtown. So they're one of the I guess, the
only Mobile County public school that didn't get a new stadium,
that didn't already have a stadium. They're still going to
play it at LADD, which will be cool. I think
they're going to do some stuff to ladd to make
(11:51):
it kind of Murphy's own stadium. But you know, they
couldn't really get a stadium in there because they got
a neighborhood all around them.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Yeah. I was gonna say, isn't that the one that all? Right?
Where is that stadium located at by downtown or yeah?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
I mean not, it's off Carlon Street. I mean it's about,
you know, a mile from mcgiltoo, and I mean they're
right there, close to you.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
I think my daughter lives right next to that stadium,
close in in a big gated yes. Yes, yeah, I
thought that was their stadium right there. Being it's a lot, right,
I mean, they don't have room to grow at all
in that place.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
I mean there's there's people, there's houses all around.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
All around it. Yeah, and a big highway on the
other side, right or a full lane road just a
full not a highway, just a busy road. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, it's it's houses all around there, so there's really
no room. I mean you could put a I guess
you could put a stadium where the practice field is,
but then you wouldn't have any park, would you park yeah,
you don't have much parking. Now, it's tough enough to
go to a basketball game there. But it's but you
know the flip side, is it is work. I mean
(13:00):
it's an old.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
School okay, yeah, is it historic mark or there? Maybe yeah?
I think yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. Man. I
didn't even think about that part of it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Yeah. So we'll see what he does. I think the
Sam Williams higher at UMS, right, it's going to be
really intriguing to see how that goes. I mean, anybody
that's going to volun Terry Curtis is gonna certainly have
a challenge, but he's, uh, he's going to do it
a different way, and I think he's you know, he told,
I think at his opening press converse, this is the
(13:35):
guy they hired from Mississippi, a young real young guy,
seem really sharp and uh, you know where he was
in Mississippi they played for state title three in the
last four years. And when at his opening press conference
he said, you know, we would have had like seven
Division one prospects coming back, you know, but this was
important for me to come. Well, he doesn't have seven
Division one prospects coming back at UMS, right, unless unless
(13:59):
there's somebody moving then and I don't know if that's
the case.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
So it'll be.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
You know, he's in there. He's in that five A
region with Viger and Williamson that all have athletes. So
it's going to be fun to see the change in
styles and how it works out for you mess.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
You know what, he had that many starters coming back
D one and left money talks.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Ben. Yeah, Well, I think for him is and he
mentioned this. You know, he's got three young kids, and
I think all the ums education and how how nice
that would be. You know, this is Mississippi guy. I
mean he's not in Alabama.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Oh no, I read all about him. Yeah, he's native Mississippian.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Yeah, and he's uh, I think what thirty.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
He is a I don't think he's forty yet, Ben, No.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
He's in his thirties for sure. So so it's not
a guy who's you know, retiring in coming to Alabama
a double dep you know, he's he's coming in. I
think that the US education had a had a large
uh you know, it was a large part of that.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Now. I think you're right, it'll be interested in this
see how it goes and anything else. Ben we're wrapping
up our We're doing our Player of the Year back
bracketing the girls and boys where we vote, vote off
and we're down to the uh, we're about to be
down to the finals of both the girls and the boys.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
So early next week before we name mister basketball Miss Basketball,
we'll have our AL dot com Players of the Year.
But voting will be open for that for the boys
final today all week and the girls final tomorrow all week,
so look for that. And also, uh, we started doing
some some neat stuff with our newsletters on Thursday. If
you're not subscribed to we have Huntsville Mobile and Birmingham.
(15:41):
But but but there's interesting thing for people all across
the state. We have trivia in there, sound off, some
photos of the week, different different things. So if you're
not subscribed to that, go to al dot com Backslash
Newsletters and I think you'll find that to be a
fun read on Thursday afternoons.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
That different than the subscription for for al dot COM's
regular subscription.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
If if you subscribe to Warren, you get the other I.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Mean, I'm just saying, is it the same as the
paper though we have to have another subscription because we
have it.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
No, you should get the newsletter. Just sign up for it.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
That's what I thought. Yeah, now we are okay, just
making sure. Oh you know we hear at our heart.
We got it covered, big man, We got it cover.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Well.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
God bless you, Ben, Thank you, buddy. Sorry for what happened.
But we've been praying for and we'll continue to pray
for you. Okay, buddy, I appreciate you guys, Yes sir, yes, sir.
Being hang in there, buddy, you got a lot of
people praying for you. You know that. All right, there's Ben Thomas,
a
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