Category Archives: Sports

No more Super 6 in Birmingham

Posted on April 8, 2009 | Leave a comment

super_six_logoFootball is more than a pastime in Alabama, and the crowds that gather at the annual Super 6 state football championships here in Birmingham at Legion Field represent that status more than anything else. Make that used to represent…

This afternoon CBS 42 broke the news that the championships would no longer be played in The Magic City and instead alternate between Tuscaloosa and Auburn, just like the Iron Bowl decided before it.

What does it mean to our local economy? Representatives from Birmingham’s Convention and Visitors Bureau told Chris Pollone of NBC 13 that they think it could cost the region more than $4 million.

We do get to keep the state basketball championships, but some are already arguing that a multipurpose facility’s time has finally come.

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One more place to climb soon

Posted on March 12, 2009 | 2 comments

steele

David Hemphill climbs a new route he created at Steele called Pappillon, 5.10 +. Hemphill named the route for his 6-yr-old daughter. The rating of 5.10+ tells climbers how difficult a climb is. Rates start at 5.0, being the easiest and 5.14 and up are the hardest.

Photo: Chris McClendon

The Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC) has just signed a contract to purchase a portion of the cliff line at Steele, AL. The non-profit climbing organization paid $55,000 for the 25.59 acre tract. The area has been closed since 1987 due to private land owner access issues. The tract has about 1,400 linear feet of cliffline and includes several cliff areas and it is estimated to have 30 to 50 routes. The SCC hopes to open the area to climbing this summer. The cliffline is located 45 minutes from Birmingham in Steele, AL.

More information go to: http://www.seclimbers.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=86?

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Indy Car’s visiting Barber next weekend

Posted on March 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

Indy car series logo - Barber Motor SportsA flyer is making the rounds online announcing the Indy Racing League‘s only preseason road course test – at the Barber Motorsports Park – next weekend, March 21-24.  Apparently a good showing during the three-day test would go a long way towards bringing Indy racing to the Birmingham area in 2010. That shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish considering IRL champ Scott Dixon, Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick are among the drivers scheduled to be here.

The flyer contains information about getting tickets for the event with a discount to car club members, which is why we’re showing you the details posted on the Barber website.

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Travelogue: a taste of international Davis Cup coverage

Posted on March 6, 2009 | Leave a comment

There’s been a great deal of coverage via our numerous media outlets about this weekend’s Davis Cup tie here in Birmingham, AL. We thought it might be a good idea to take a look at how international media outlets are covering the event. Check out this podcast (click on the green button in the post to listen) conducted by World Radio Switzerland about the matches scheduled for this weekend in The Magic City.

SPOILER ALERT: BTW, While James Blake lost his match, it appears that Andy Roddick will win his.

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Birmingham Wildfire tryouts upcoming

Posted on February 26, 2009 | 1 comment

birmingham_wildfire_logoThe Birmingham Wildfire, a semi-professional football team, became a part of the metro Birmingham scene last year. BhamWiki even created an entry for them. This year they’ve signed on to be one of the six teams in the Southern Conference of the LaBelle Community Football League (LCFL), founded in 2003 by music icon Patti LaBelle.

The team will be holding open player tryouts next week Saturday (March 7) and March 21 at Legion Field. Open tryouts for the dance team will be on the 21st. Registration on both days will begin at 9 a.m. with fees being $25 for players and $15 for potential dance team members.

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UPDATE: UA’s Gottfried resigns this afternoon

Posted on January 26, 2009 | Leave a comment

UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. – AL.com is reporting that Gottfried resigned his position effective immediately during his meeting with Mal Moore.

ABC 33/40 and TideSports.com are reporting that the University of Alabama has fired its head basketball coach Mark Gottfried. AL.com had reported earlier in the day that Gottfried was scheduled to meet with UA athletic director Mal Moore about his future with the institution. The ABC report was posted at 2:30 p.m. with the TideSports preceding it at 2:04 p.m. There is currently no word as to whether he will be allowed to finish the season.

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Hockey, Magic City style

Posted on November 24, 2008 | 2 comments

The way temperatures were late last week here in Birmingham, it would be easy to let your mind think about a sport not normally associated with The Magic City – hockey (easy for us Northerners anyway).

Well, NHL great Frank Mahovlich recently sat down with the folks at NHL.com to talk about his time in the city while playing with the WHA’s Birmingham Bulls. The current member of the Canadian Senate from Ontario (and NHL Hall of Famer) seems to have some fond memories of his time down here.

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