The artificial tree appeared to be in decent shape.
There was some wear at the top – probably where tree toppers had gone on an off through the years – and a few limbs were missing their greenery.
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It was slightly faded and damp, thanks to a recent rain, but the woman figured it would do just fine. She bent over, gingerly lifted it from its unceremonious spot next to the plastic green garbage can, and threw it in the back of her Ford F-Series truck.
The engine was still running; the old tan-and-brown clunker spat and sputtered every time she tried to crank it, and when she succeeded in doing so, it was always a small victory.
She didn’t know how long her “shopping trip” would last, she merely hoped the truck lasted long enough for her to complete it.
The tree was a good find from a decoration standpoint, but it was only part of the presentation.
She thought she had made her top find of the day a few blocks over – in the area she called “Ritzyville” – when she spotted a pair of scooters leaning against a recycling bin.
Both looked practically new, and she figured people who had manicured lawns and two-story houses could afford to upgrade their kids’ playthings every Christmas. But as she pulled over and tried to inspect, she noticed a couple of young boys staring at her from the bottom of the driveway.
Maybe the scooters weren’t left there for disposal, after all. Perhaps the kids were just taking a break. Regardless, their hard looks were enough to send her on her way.
Feeling a sense of shame was bad enough … she certainly didn’t want to be accused of stealing.
With a little less than two hours before her grandchild got home from school, she knew she should head back soon. But she needed more than a tree – she needed something to put under it other than the puzzle and small dolls she had purchased from the discount store.
So, she continued to drive through neighborhood after neighborhood, hoping something worth taking would catch her eye.
Ultimately, she came across a house in a cul-de-sac that looked as though it had thrown away the entirety of the holiday.
There was a “live” tree that had already turned brown and brittle, and box after box overflowing with bows and ornaments.
As she dug through the first box, she found a small, metal toy car that looked perfectly good except for a small scratch on the hood.
Another box had the pieces of a playhouse. She didn’t have time to figure out if all the pieces were there, but there were enough to assemble a nice little structure.
She even managed to pull out what she called “one of them electronic gizmos” with the back panel cracked and the batteries missing.
Shouldn’t be too hard to find a couple of “D” batteries, though. And a little tape would go a long way in ensuring the crack didn’t grow larger.
She moved some items from one box to another, and filled up one with her “prizes.”
If she left now, she’d have plenty of time to get home and get everything ready.
Later, as the bus rolled by abandoned houses and an overgrown lot full of junk cars, it stopped on a dirt road. There, a young girl jumped out, first checking the mailbox and then running straight to the door underneath the awning of the mobile home.
Once inside she spied a tree in the corner – decorated in red and green ribbons – and saw wrapped gifts placed underneath it.
She squealed with delight, ran to her grandmother and gave her a tight, lingering hug.
“I love you, granny,” she said. “All the other kids have already had their Christmas. Now you and me get to celebrate ours.”
During the two-year revival of the modern United States Football League, Skip Holtz led the Birmingham Stallions to back-to-back titles, a 21-3 overall record, and earned a Coach of the Year nod.
Beginning in March, he’ll try to guide the Stallions to a threepeat spanning two leagues.
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Birmingham – along with a combination of seven other former USFL and XFL teams – will usher in the era of the United Football League this spring. The two-time USFL Stallions will open against the XFL titlist Arlington Renegades on March 30 at Choctaw Stadium.
“What an exciting time right now for everybody,” said Holtz, who was at Protective Stadium in Birmingham on Tuesday to talk about the upcoming season. “I know there’s been a lot of questions out there about how it’s gonna work or how we’re gonna do it, and we have as many questions as everybody else does.
“We’re in the process right now of getting these questions answered as far as rules and how we’re going to do dispersal drafts, so it’s unique and it’s new for everybody. I think the thing that excites me the most is that there are going to be eight cities around the country that are going to have the opportunity to host and support spring football, and Birmingham is one of them.”
Training camp opens in Arlington on February 24, and all eight teams will use it as a hybrid hub; players will live and train there, but play games in home markets.
Birmingham, the Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats and Michigan Panthers comprise the USFL Division, with Arlington, the DC Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks populating the XFL Division.
Teams that failed to survive the merger were the New Jersey Generals, New Orleans Breakers, Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL and Orlando Guardians, Seattle Sea Dragons and Vegas Vipers of the XFL.
The Houston Gamblers of the USFL will assume the identity of the XFL Roughnecks, meaning for all practical purposes the UFL is an even split of four teams from each league.
“I know it was disappointing for the four out of each league that weren’t able to be part of this, but hopefully, we can make this work,” Holtz said. “We’re gonna watch this continue to grow and hopefully those other eight will be back together again. I think there’s been an incredible amount of vision on how to make this work.
“I think it’s great for spring football and solidifies spring football. It’s gonna make the product even better than it has been.”
Although 2023 USFL MVP Alex McGough is now with the Green Bay Packers, former starting quarterback J’Mar Smith is back with the Stallions.
There are also plenty of other familiar faces returning to the roster, including wide receivers Victor Bolden Jr., Deon Cain and Amari Rodgers, tight end Jace Sternberger, and running backs CJ Marable and Ricky Person Jr.
Defensively, linebacker Scooby Wright is back with Birmingham for the third consecutive year, and Kyahva Tezino (linebacker) and Travin Howard (linebacker) are some free agent signings that should bolster the 2024 bruise crew. All-USFL cornerback Channing Stribling, who played with the now defunct Philadelphia Stars last season, was picked up on Monday via the dispersal draft, along with Anree Saint-Amour (defensive end, New Orleans Breakers), Chris Orr (linebacker, New Jersey Generals), and Hercules Mata’Afa (defensive end, Generals).
“We’ve lost a lot of good players, but we’re adding a lot of good players,” Holtz said. “J’Mar is coming back after injuring his finger last year, and he was the quarterback who helped lead us to the championship in our first season. And we’ve added a guy like Adrian Martinez, who was a college quarterback at Kansas State and Nebraska, and had great success.
“Scooby Wright, Mr. Excitement – the Shark-Dog – is back and we added guys like Tezino and Orr … I think the talent level in this league is going to go up. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting passed.”
And while kickers don’t always land in the spotlight, that’s not the case with the Stallions.
Brandon Aubrey parlayed a successful run with Birmingham into an NFL All-Pro rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys, and this spring he’ll be replaced by Chris Blewitt.
Blewitt, who spent time with three NFL clubs, played for the Pittsburgh Maulers last season. He finished with 94 points and made 27 of 33 field goals, including a five against the Stars in an April 30, 2023, USFL matchup.
As for the coaching staff, there have been several changes heading into a new league and new year.
“We’ve got some staples that are returning,” Holtz said. “John Chavis, our defensive coordinator, is going to return, and we’re bringing back both Bill Johnson and Corey Chamblin, who were our defensive line coach and secondary coach the first year we were here.”
Mikes Jones returns to handle wide receivers, Daric Riley will coach cornerbacks, Steven Smith will coach the offensive line and Chris Boniol will again be in charge of special teams.
“There are some new faces in there,” Holtz said. “I felt like it was important with us going in since half the teams we play are coming from the XFL that I have no knowledge of or have never played against, that we bring in some guys from that side.”
Johnson was D-line coach for the XFL Roughnecks last season while Chamblin worked for the Brahmas in 2023
As for rule changes, Holtz said that remains a work in progress. The UFL will adopt XFL conversions (no PATS, only tiered one, two, and three-point scrimmage plays) and the USFL kickoff formation (ball is kicked off from the 20 and kicking team members must be stationary until the ball is kicked. The receiving team must have a minimum of eight players and maximum of nine lined up between its 30 and 40-yard line).
The UFL will hold another dispersal draft on January 15.
All teams will bring 75 players to camp but rosters must be cut down to 50 by opening weekend.
Each club will play a 10-game regular season.
“Wow, a new league … it’s really exciting,” Holtz said. “The product is gonna get better, it’s gonna get stronger, and I think there’s gonna be even more interest with Fox and ABC and ESPN and everybody involved.
“Where before you had everybody pulling the rope in a different direction, now we’re pulling the rope in the same direction and we stopped fighting each other. And I think you’re gonna see the UFL really take off from where it is today.”
It seems appropriate – although disappointing for most of the 1,477 fans in the building – that on Star Wars Night at Legacy Arena, the force was with the visiting Sioux Falls Skyforce.
I mean, it’s literally in their name.
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But for T.J. Saint and company, it was a timeout that was forced upon them that contributed to their undoing.
The Miami Heat affiliates entered the G League clash against the Birmingham Squadron with a circuit-best 4-0 record and exited with a 5-0 mark after topping the New Orleans Pelicans’ developmental club (1-4), 121-116.
With the Squadron trailing 115-111, the home team forced a turnover thanks to a Malcolm Hill steal with 24 seconds remaining and were headed for a transition bucket.
Instead, an official said the Birmingham bench had called a timeout.
That was news to Saint.
“I have no idea,” said Saint, obviously frustrated. “(The official) said he heard a player call a timeout, but I don’t see how he knew who it was because he wasn’t looking. He just guessed.”
The Squadron still managed to pull within one at 117-116 – and with the score 119-116, Kira Lewis Jr. had a chance to tie it with three seconds left – but his 3-pointer wouldn’t fall.
Lewis, on assignment from the parent club, led Birmingham with 29 points.
Trey Jemison had a career-high 21 points to go with 17 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double in a row and eighth in the last 10 outings.
“I’ve played more basketball this year than I’ve played my entire life,” Jemison said. “I’m just in a rhythm now.”
Hill also had 21 points, and Jalen Crutcher contributed 14.
Despite solid numbers, Saint was disappointed in his side’s unforced errors.
“This is the first time in 20 games I had no clue who that team was,” Saint said. “It wasn’t a physical energy thing because we improved in the second half, but it was a mental thing. And you can’t do that and be a good team.”
Center Orlando Robinson had a monster game for the winners, tallying 41 points – included a trio of baskets from 3-point range – and snatching 13 rebounds.
Justin Champagnie scored 26 points, followed by Alondes Williams, Jamaree Bouyea (17), and Caleb Daniels (12).
Sioux Falls took control of the game early, racing out to a 42-25 first quarter lead. Robinson had already amassed 15 points and six rebounds after just 12 minutes, and registered a double-double (23 points and 10 boards) by intermission.
Birmingham rallied in the second quarter, slicing the Sioux Falls lead to just six points at the 8:11 mark. But Robinson got busy again and allowed his team to get most of those points back, and at halftime the visitors held a 65-50 advantage.
The Squadron regrouped after the break and got right back in the game in the third period.
A Lewis layup made it a three-point game (75-72) with 5:32 left in the frame, and Hill’s 3-pointer at 4:05 cut the deficit to 77-75.
When the buzzer sounded the Skyforce was clinging to a 91-86 lead, and Birmingham still had a quarter to flip the script.
They almost did – but wound up on the losing end of a game in which they led only once (6-4).
Road weary: Friday was the regular season home opener for Birmingham, who played two games at Indiana and then a pair of back-to-back days against Grand Rapids.
The team has logged a lot of minutes in a short time, and it showed – especially early in the loss to the Skyforce.
“We got back (Thursday morning), some of us were under the weather and we got some meds and got right but man, it was a long trip,” Jemison said. “We’ve played five games in seven days, and it’s my first time to do that as a rookie to play that many games so fast, so I’m just trying to adjust to the flow.
“You want to keep playing at your top level every day, but it’s kinda rough. You could tell today we were exhausted the first 20 minutes.”
Honoring legends: As part of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration – and as a salute to Birmingham’s role in the civil rights movement – the Squadron will wear Birmingham Black Barons specialty jerseys for games against Raptors 905 on January 13 and January 15.
The jerseys have a black torso design and BBB across the chest, as well as the outline of the Magic City skyline on the shorts.
A tribute to the Negro League baseball team that played here from 1920-1960, the jersey was designed to “honor the players and history of this part of the cultural heritage of the Birmingham community.”
“We are honored to celebrate and recognize the Birmingham Black Barons with the donning of these specialty jerseys,” Squadron general manager Leslie Claybrook said. “The history of the Black Barons in the Magic City and nationally is quite remarkable and needs to continue to be told. These specialty jerseys play a small role in keeping the legacy top-of-mind.”
Game-worn jerseys will be auctioned at Legacy Arena during both games and proceeds of the jersey will benefit the Negro League Baseball Museum.
OTD in 1948: The Birmingham Vulcans of the Southern Professional Basketball League lost to the Jackson (Mississippi) Senators, 48-47. Jackson’s Charley Ward hit two free throws in the waning seconds to secure the victory for the hosts.
Birmingham was led by Shag Hawkins’ 12 points.
OTD in 2022: The Squadron fell to the Stockton Kings, 103-80, at Stockton Arena.
Tra Holder led Birmingham with 15 points, while Joe Young and Riley LaChance finished with 14 points apiece.
OTD in 2023: The Squadron dropped a 113-107 decision to the South Bay Lakers at the UCLA Health Training Center.
Kelan Martin and Javonte Smart each pumped in 28 points, with Kalob Ledoux chipping in 22.
Zylan Cheatham had 10 points to go with 11 rebounds for the double-double.
Next up: Birmingham is back on the road Thursday for a matchup with the Memphis Hustle at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi.
