Remembering…

Victor Ellis died last night, and the Chattanooga Times Free Press provides the best information on the young man’s passing. Going through the story, the quotes from his football coach are good, but the most important line is from another cancer patient:

In the same way he once thrilled fans at Red Bank and Alabama, Ellis continued to inspire fellow cancer patients at Memorial Hospital, as well as the staff. One patient, Stacy Woody, continually was amazed at how upbeat Ellis would be during the depths of his battle.

“I simply cannot express this young man’s ability to be so selfless, gracious, caring, determined and more,” Woody said. “He is what every parent hopes their child grows up to be.”

Selfless, gracious, caring, determined. Those are qualities worth honoring. Unfortunately, it takes sad situations like this to make us see these qualities in other people.

Perkins Reconsidered:
Will Heath provides a reconsideration of the Ray Perkins’ era at Alabama. He considers his abrasive personality, and talks about the difficulties Perkins faced on his arrival. He also notes that it was also a time that saw the rise of Paul Finebaum as the “state’s dominate media personality.”

If you enjoy what-if questions, this is a great read.

Hannah for Congress

Alabama GOP chairman Mike Hubbard dropped John Hannah’s name as a possible candidate for congress to replace the retiring Bud Cramer in Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District. Hubbard dropped the name last week in the Huntsville Times. CQ included a mention of Hannah last week too.

Also mentioned is John Hannah, according to Philip Bryan, director of communications for the Alabama Republican Party. Hannah played football at the University of Alabama and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his 1973-85 career as an offensive guard with the New England Patriots.

CQ Politics changed its rating on the 5th District race all the way to No Clear Favorite from Safe Democratic shortly after Cramer’s March 13 retirement announcement. The rating is subject to subsequent changes based on developments, including the final candidate fields in each party.