Alabama here I come
 

Looks as if I'll be moving to Alabama after 50 years in the Soprano . . . er, Garden State.

Any of you guys from Alabama?

Moving to the home of Dixie Softball, eh? :eek:

Hey congrats on.................... hmmmm... Alabama you say?


well congrats.

I'm a bama boy... what part you moving to?

I'm a bama boy... what part you moving to?

Probably in or near Hayden, where my cousins own a lot of land. At the moment, I'm investigating a house in the Village of Blount Springs.

Part of what's driving the move is financial. I now have a 4-bedroom ranch house here in NJ. The annual property taxes are $6,465. (That's better than the annual $13,535 I was paying in the 1990s, for the house where my kids grew up.) The house in Alabama is larger and nicer and much newer than my present house. Annual property taxes are $405, with a monthly maintenance assessment of $78.

For those of you not familiar with New Jersey, even with its high property taxes, its income tax that competes with New York City's, and its recent sales tax increase to 7%, the state has a $13 billion deficit. Taxes will go nowhere but up in the future.

not to mention radioactive food & water!

No wonder you are looking forward to bama!

I'm in Mobile, but there is a ton of good high school softball up there... you should fit in just fine.

WOW. Someones ain' spendin' yall's dollah's vare good is they?

Gotta get started on the lingo gm! That is a pretty area of Alabama, and very close to a lot of my family (the won't bite, but watch out anyway!) I have a sister in Birmingham, and one in Attalla (near Gadsden). Mom still kicking in the Attalla area also.

There is quite a bit of softball in Birmingham, and Gadsden also. Bot FP and SP fare well. ASA has a good presence as well as NSA. I'm not sure about USS(R)SA, or some of the others. AHSAA is in full swing, and there is plenty of work around the state. I am in central GA, about 6 miles from the Alabama line. Started calling HS for AHSAA this year, mainly to ween away from little ball (HS at least). Maybe we will meet on the field sometime. I have a couple of ASA contacts in AL, and have had oppurtunities to work tournies in several AL cities.

One thing though. We play ball nearly year round down here! Snow is real scarce! hope you won't miss it!

It has been a couple of decades since I have been there, but I remember Mobile as one of the prettier Gulf Coast cities. Is it still that way?

Depends. Downtown Mobile seemed to be in somewhat of a revitalization phase a couple years ago. But the big thing about Mobile isn't the city, but the manner in which a visiting umpire is treated.

I was down there a few years back and have never been treated better. From the pre-tournament backyard BBQ to the post-tournament steak dinner at the complex to being treated to a minor league ball game at Hank Aaron Stadium, everything was first class.

BTW, Wade, Matt was there with me that trip. Great time.

I got a meeting with him in April.. I made a proposal and he has questions and concerns :eek:

well we'll see how it goes.. you gotta work hard to give freely of your time and money 'round this place.. :D

Mobile is doing well, we're in the middle of the Boeing v. Northrup-Grumman controversy, hoping they don't take the plane away. Thyssen Kryup just made plans to build a huge steel mill here and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. just financed a 6 track motorsports park here as well. Some of the south part of the county is still reeling from Hurricane Katrina, but otherwise we're doing well. The azaleas are in full bloom and the highs are in the mid 70's with a gentle breeze off the bay... it's a great time to be a Mobilian.

Bama Born & Bleed Crimson
 

Limestone County Wishes you the best (just West of Huntsville). First year for softball but 15 yr. baseball vet. Called quarter-finals at Corner HS a few years ago. Welcome to the Heart of Dixie. :)

Anything south of Birmingham is another country... The northern half of the state is the superior portion....

:eek: Ooohhh, baby! Here we go!