Latest news with #TuscaloosaNews
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Transfer portal or 'speed dating'? How Alabama baseball flipped 2025 roster with 13 additions
Some of Alabama baseball's biggest contributors during the 2025 season were plucked straight from the transfer portal. "The scary part of the transfer portal is you can crush your culture really quick if you start bringing the wrong people in," Crimson Tide coach Rob Vaughn told the Tuscaloosa News. Advertisement Vaughn admits his recruiting process is "probably a little bit slower than most," but it's a decision made on good advice. Former St. John's manager Ed Blankmeyer once told Vaughn and his assistants: "It's never the guy you don't get, it's the guy you get that you shouldn't have got." REQUIRED READING: Rob Vaughn hitting milestones with Alabama baseball, but he almost didn't take the job SEC TOURNAMENT WEEK: What to know about Missouri as first round opponent for Alabama baseball Who's the best competitor? Which guys are tough, and know the difference between toughness and grit? Vaughn wants those guys. Advertisement "The truest competitors for me are the ones that say, 'Hey, whatever I've got today is good enough to beat you. I don't have to have my A stuff. I'm good enough to beat you with my C stuff,' " Vaughn said. Without that mentality, Vaughn says there's "no chance" to survive in the SEC. Why Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn thinks the transfer portal is like 'speed dating' Recruiting high schools is easier for Vaughn, who likes having the extra time to do the homework compared to shopping for transfers. "The portal is like speed dating," Vaughn said. "There's times kids get in the portal. We talk to him. Two hours later, they've already got five offers and six visits lined up. We have to operate in it. If you don't, you're gonna get passed." Advertisement Alabama was a hot date to swipe right on last portal season, as thirteen players on the current roster chose to leave programs around the country, whether little-known community colleges or iconic Ivy Leagues, and join the Crimson Tide. Alabama's outfielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. (5) celebrates his two run homer in the top of the first inning against Florida. Florida came back from being down 5-0 to beat Alabama 7-6, Friday, May 15, 2025, at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida. [Cyndi Chambers/ Gainesville Sun] 2025 Which Alabama baseball transfers will make their first trips to the SEC Tournament? Richie Bonomolo Jr., CF, junior Previous school: Wabash Valley College Before Alabama, Bonomolo helped Wabash Valley advance to its fourth consecutive JUCO World Series in 2023 and earned second-team All-American honors after a standout freshman season. Bryce Fowler, RF, redshirt junior Previous school: Pearl River C.C. (2024), Southern Miss (2022-23) Advertisement In Poplarville, Miss. at Pearl River, Fowler got comfortable as a leadoff hitter and worked himself among the all-time leaders with 88 hits, the second most in a season in program history. JT Blackwood, RHP, junior Previous school: Wallace State When Blackwood wasn't getting called out of the bullpen, he was often the midweek starter for the Crimson Tide, which went undefeated in the midweek during the 2025 regular season. In two seasons at Wallace State, he had the most innings pitched. Carson Ozmer, RHP, graduate Previous school: Penn Ozmer leads all Division I closers with 16 saves, picking up two in one day in the series finale double-header against Georgia. All four years he was at Penn, Ozmer was a two-way starter and earned honorable mention All-Ivy League honors twice. Advertisement Please enable Javascript to view this content. Aeden Finateri, RHP, senior Previous school: Georgia Tech Finateri came to Tuscaloosa after three seasons at Georgia Tech, where he appeared in 58 games and made 23 starts, finishing his career with an 8-9 record with three saves and 172 strikeouts Brennen Norton, INF, senior Previous school: Jacksonville State Norton left Jacksonville State on a high note. As a junior, he achieved a career-best .327 average with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs, seeing him add First Team All-Conference USA honors to his resume. Garrett Staton, DH/2B, redshirt senior Previous school: Samford Advertisement Staton missed 21 games after suffering a broken finger on Feb. 18 when he was hit by a pitch, putting a delay on Crimson Tide fans seeing all the reasons why he earned preseason All-American honors. Since returning to the lineup on March 25, Staton has lived up to the hype, recording at least one RBI in 13 of his 25 starts. Jason Torres, 3B, junior Previous school: Miami Named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, Torres impressed during his stint in South Florida. At Alabama, he's started all but one game on the hot corner and is one of the Crimson Tide's top home run contributors. More first-timers that joined Alabama's 2025 roster from the portal Beau Bryans, LHP, junior: previously Jones College Packy Bradley-Cooney, RHP, senior: previously Campbell (2024), CCBC Essex (2022-23) Danny Heintz, RHP, redshirt senior: previously Penn Zach Kittrell, RHP, junior: previously Pensacola State College Which new SEC transfer returns to Hoover, but with the Tide instead? Brady Neal, C, junior Previous school: LSU Advertisement Sidelined by a back injury, Neal's career as LSU's starting catcher hit a roadbump in 2023. Now, he splits time behind the plate with fellow SEC transfer Will Plattner. The nine-hole hitter, Neal leads Alabama with an 18.4% walk rate. Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@ This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Transfers can 'crush your culture:' Why Rob Vaughn got 13 for Alabama baseball
New York Post
02-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump quips he's ‘in trouble' with Melania as he impersonates trans athlete at University of Alabama commencement speech
President Trump jokingly impersonated a transgender athlete while discussing the hot-button topic — while joking about it would get him 'in trouble' with his wife, first lady Melania Trump. Trump addressed the controversy surrounding transgender athletes competing in women's sports during his commencement ceremony speech at the University of Alabama on Thursday night. 'The greatest is like weightlifting, you ever see the weightlifting? Where they have a record that wasn't broken in 18 years,' he said before asking if he should break out his impersonation of the athletes despite his wife's warning. 4 President Donald Trump shows off his impression of a weightlifter during his commencement address at the University of Alabama on May 1, 2025. Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News/USA Today Network via Imagn Imagn 'Should I imitate him? My wife gets very upset when I do this. She says 'Darling, it's not presidential,' I say yeah, but people like it,' Trump added The commander in chief again asked the crowd inside the Coleman Coliseum if he should 'do it.' 'All right, I'm in trouble when I get home, but that's OK, what the hell. I've been in lots of trouble before,' he joked. The 78-year-old president created a scenario about a cisgender female weightlifter at a competition having trouble lifting an 'eighth of an ounce' of weight before a 'transitioned person' follows up. 'Mom, I'm gonna do it,' Trump said while making high-pitched noises and showing off a unique form to lift the barbell. 4 President Donald Trump joked that he was 'in trouble' with wife Melania after he broke out the new imitation. AP In the made-up scenario, the cisgender female failed to clear the lift. 'Then a guy comes along or a gal or whatever,' Trump said. 'A transitioned person and he was a failed weightlifter as a male, but he comes along 206 pounds, they put the little thing on and just 'boom, boom, boom.'' Trump showed off the simplicity of the transgender competitor, adding the athlete would break the record by '119 pounds.' 'That's not right,' he said. 4 President Donald Trump makes a face as he shows off his impression. AP On Monday, the Trump administration determined the University of Pennsylvania violated federal civil rights laws by allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. The Ivy League school broke Title IX rules by 'denying women equal opportunities by permitting males to compete in women's intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.' UPenn was given 10 days to 'voluntarily resolve these violations or risk a referral to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for enforcement proceedings.' 4 Graduating University of Alabama students listen to President Donald Trump at the Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Getty Images 'Little girls who look up to Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan can find hope in today's action – the Trump Administration will not allow male athletes to invade female private spaces or compete in female categories,' Craig Trainor, the Education Department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement. 'UPenn has a choice to make: do the right thing for its female students and come into full compliance with Title IX immediately or continue to advance an extremist political project that violates federal antidiscrimination law and puts UPenn's federal funding at risk,' he added.
Miami Herald
01-05-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Vibrant' creatures — that can change color — are ‘cryptic' new species in Cuba
How can you tell two species apart? You would never confuse a human with a chimpanzee, even with their shared ancestry. A manatee could never be mistaken for an elephant, despite their close relation. This gets harder, however, when two species look nearly identical on the outside. Take the anole — a small, neotropical lizard found in the leafy canopy and tops of trees across the Caribbean. Cuba is the only landmass with multiple species of the Anolis carolinensis subgroup, or green anoles, according to a study published April 24 in the peer-reviewed journal Vertebrate Zoology. However, when researchers began comparing anoles from the east side of the island to the west, originally thought to belong to the same species, they started noticing some differences, according to the study. This raised four questions used to determine if two animals are different species. Are green anoles in Cuba phenotypically distinct? This asks if there are observable differences between anoles in different regions, or if they look exactly the same to the naked eye.'Are any of the Cuban green anoles geographically isolated from one another?' When animals of the same species are separated for long periods of time, their genetics can diverge and become different enough that they can no longer breed, making them individual species.'Are the Cuban green anoles ecologically distinct?' Do the green anoles live in different physical environments that require different behavior or adaptations to survive?'Are the Cuban green anoles distinct lineages?' This brings the comparison down to the genetic level, asking whether researchers can see a divergence in their DNA. As researchers answered each question, they realized the anoles living on the east side of Cuba met the criteria to be a 'cryptic,' or hidden, new species — Anolis torresfundorai, or the eastern Cuba green anole. The eastern Cuba green anoles are about 2.5 inches long, with a 'vibrant green body' and 'whitish underside,' according to the study. 'It has a distinct thin median white stripe' with 'dark and wider stripes running along the length of its back,' researchers said. The scales around their eyelids have a 'bluish tone,' and males can have an additional spot on their shoulders, according to the study. 'As other green anoles it has two color phases, light, where the animals are green, and a dark, where they turn brown,' researchers said. Green anoles have specialized structures under the skin that allow them to change color under different conditions, the Tuscaloosa News reported. It could be environmental changes like temperature and humidity, hormonal changes or potentially some kind of emotional response, according to the outlet. 'This new species is easily distinguishable from its closest relative in Cuba, A. allisoni in having fewer temporal scales, a higher frontal ridge than the (ridge connecting the eye and nostril), rounded ear opening instead of elongated, and males being completely green in light phase (blue head and torso in most male A. allisoni),' researchers said. Externally, the eastern Cuba green anole is not 'easily distinguishable' from A. porcatus, a 'more distantly related' species, the study said. 'However, we also found that A. porcatus and (the eastern Cuba green anole) are geographically isolated, genetically divergent and that both species are ecologically distinct from one another and from A. allisoni,' researchers said. The new species was named after Orlando J. Torres Fundora, an emeritus professor and lifelong scientist studying and conserving Cuban nature, according to the study. The new species was found in eastern Cuba, an island nation off the southern coast of Florida in the Caribbean Sea. The research team includes Javier Torres, Dexter Reilly, Claudia Nuñez-Penichet, R. Graham Reynolds and Richard E. Glor.
USA Today
21-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Why Mark Sears' mom Lameka mimes shooting free throws with the Alabama guard
Why Mark Sears' mom Lameka mimes shooting free throws with the Alabama guard It's the most fun thing to watch as Alabama plays in March Madness: senior guard Mark Sears steps to the free-throw line, and the cameras go to his mom, Lameka, as she mimes his routine with him. If you're here, you're probably wondering: why is that? What's the story there? MARCH MADNESS ODDS: Final Four and national championship odds for all 68 men's NCAA tournament teams We have an answer! Per the Tuscaloosa News: "As her son shoots free throws, Lameka always stands up and goes through the motions from the stands, too. She's been doing that since Mark was playing rec league basketball. It just has never drawn the same level of exposure as now; Lameka has gotten frequent TV time throughout a season in which her son put together an effort that earned him consensus second-team All-American recognition." She's always been his No. 1 fan and he can apparently hear her from the crowd during certain games. And since she's been doing this since her son was playing in a rec league, she, of course, also did this during Alabama's 2024 NCAA tournament:
