Just got back in from Atlanta after an incredible NCAA Regional victory for the Tide. It has been an amazing four or five weeks for this team, and I'm really happy for Mitch Gaspard, his staff, players, and their families, that there is more baseball still to be played. In the next couple of days, I'll be posting some video blogs on Bama Fever.com, as well as putting up some things in advance of the Super Regional at Clemson.

I've had a chance to do and see some fun things the past several weeks, and below are a few snapshots from that time:

I was honored to recently be selected Alabama Sportscaster of the Year for 2009 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA). In early May, I received my award at the NSSA Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner in Salisbury, NC. In the photo above, I receive the award from Jim Nantz of CBS Sports, who was the NSSA National Sportscaster of the Year.

While many know Peter Gammons for the many years spent on ESPN's Baseball Tonight, he was the NSSA Hall of Fame inductee for his career as a sportswriter. Gammons shared some great stories from his days with the Boston Globe during his acceptance speech. Before the NSSA dinner, he was kind enough to pose for the picture above. Gammons also told me he is a huge fan of the Yankees' David Robertson, and truly believes the former Alabama star will have a great Major League career. 

For the second time, the father-son combo of Woody (right) and Wes Durham were state NSSA winners in the same year. Woody has been the play-by-play voice of the North Carolina Tar Heels for almost 40 years, while Wes is the veteran voice of the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. I had a great visit with both men over the course of the NSSA weekend. Of particular interest were their thoughts about how the potential expansion of the Big Ten could affect their league - the ACC.

Jim Nantz received his NSSA National Sposrtcaster of the Year Award from Arnold Palmer (above). While I didn't get the pleasure of meeting one of the greatest legends in sports, he did provide perhaps my favorite moment of the weekend. As I was waiting to go up on stage and receive my award, I realized Palmer was sitting about 10 feet from where I was standing. When I turned my head to star-gaze, I realized that he was looking dead at me. Just as they called my name, Mr. Palmer smiled, winked, and gave me the thumbs up. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. 

My wife, Christy, joined me on the road for the Alabama Baseball trip to South Carolina (below), as well as the NSSA Awards Weekend. The picture above was taken at the Speedway Club at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which was the location for a dinner and dance the night prior to the NSSA Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner.

With the full-time job of raising our five-year old son, Christy doesn't get to travel with me very often. So trips like these are very special to me. We also celebrated my 40th birthday that Friday night in Columbia, so it had even greater meaning. 

Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram threw our the first pitch prior to the Tide's home game with Miss. State on April 24th. Ingram then joined me in the radio booth at Sewell-Thomas Stadium for an inning. It was a really enjoyable conversation that I hope to make available here on the website later this summer. 

I've had the privilege of making some good friends in over 20 years as a broadcaster, and now 11 seasons working with Alabama Baseball. Two of my favorite people in the SEC are David Kellum (above left) and Gary Darby (above right) of the Ole Miss radio network. They are good guys, good broadcasters, and a lot of fun to hang out with during four hour rain delays - such as the one we endured on the Sunday of the regular season series in Tuscaloosa.