Alabama players practicing in sunny California

Alabama running back Mark Ingram runs the ball during practice, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, in Costa Mesa, Calif. Alabama plays Texas in the BCS Championship NCAA college football game Thursday.

By: Ken Rogers | Dothan Eagle
Published: January 04, 2010

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — It takes about one day to figure out why movie stars and the ultra-rich live out here.

Because they can.

Mid-70s. Wispy clouds. Little or no breeze. Warm sun. Cool air. Zero humidity. Palm trees lining the streets.

Driving back from Alabama’s football practice Tuesday we were second in line at a five-lane traffic light. From left the right, the cars in front of us were Mercedes, Mercedes, Mercedes, Vibe and Jaguar.

This was a postcard kind of day for the Orange County chamber of commerce. Alabama football players liked it, too.

“No humidity. Nice breeze. Warm weather, compared to what it is in Alabama right now,” jack linebacker Eryk Anders said after practice in Costa Mesa. “It feels really good.”
Alabama coach Nick Saban said, “This is about as good as it gets.”

“I think it won’t be this warm when we play the game,” the coach said. “It’ll probably be a little cooler. So it’s probably been a good thing for them. ... We haven’t had a conditioning problem or anything like that. So they’ve adapted to it fairly well.”

What’s to adapt? Mid-20s in Dothan with lower wind chills, that’s weather. Snow plows in Green Bay, that’s weather. This isn’t weather. It’s air-conditioning outdoors.
Saban, of course a preparation junkie, talked about finding a place with an indoor facility just in case the team ran into bad weather.

“We couldn’t find any,” the coach said at Orange County Community College. “We felt fortunate that they have not only grass fields here but turf fields. ... That’s the best we could do is have is an opportunity to practice on turf. We have just about all the things here we were looking for. The people here have done a fantastic job getting the facility ready and the fields ready.”

Alabama kicker Leigh Tiffin wouldn’t necessarily agree.

“The fields we’re practicing on here aren’t too great,” the first team All-American said. “I don’t think it could be any worse.”

So maybe there’s no place like home for Tiffin.

But as the sun dips into the Pacific, it’s pretty clear we’re not in Muscle Shoals anymore.