Loyd McIntosh - Latest Blog Entries

Battleground! Part II

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:17:00 -0600

Looks like it was a great time to interview Terry Bowden. His 2009 University of North Alabama Lions are undefeated and raned Number 1 in the nation in Division II NCAA football. He's also a serious candidate for Div. II Coach of the Year (you can vote for him here), and he was, of course, featured in an article I wrote for the September-October issue of Thicket magazine.

I shared the link to the story on Thicket's website recently, but now you click below to see how the article looked in the print edition. The photos are by the always impressive Jason Wallis. Let me know what you think.

Battlground!

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:59:00 -0500

September has been a great month for yours truly. I have four articles published in three different magazines this month, including the cover story for Poritco Magazine (21 People Who Will Change The World).

Among my favorites includes a story in Thicket magazine titled Battlground: UNA & USA. The article includes interviews with formar Auburn and current head football coach at the University of North Alabama Terry Bowden, and Joey Jones, a former University of Alabama football player and now the head coach the University of South Alabama in Mobile.

The story was a lot of fun to write as I had a chance to not only talk to some more Alabama football legends, but it gave me an opportunity to write about football in Alabama in a new way - in other words, withougt focusing on Alabama and Auburn.

Let me know what you think. Click here to read the article.

Hut, hut!

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:04:00 -0500

I had the opportunity to interview several Alabama football legends for Thicket Magazine recently. They were Bart Starr and Fred Sington, Jr., both of whom played for the University of Alabama in the 1950s, and Pat Sullivan and James "Red" Phillips.

Phillips' was a real interesting interview, in particular. He played on the 1957 Auburn team that won a national championship before playing in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings. He had several funny stories to tell about life in football, including a great piece about Dick Bass, a teammate on the Rams from Mississippi who, let's just say, was something of a prankster. Read the entire story on the Thicket website here.

The Obama-Ayers Connection

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:41:00 -0500

McCain has finally started upping the ante against Obama and his association with home-grown terrorist and renown socialist William Ayers. This ad popped up on You Tube yesterday. We need more of this, the sooner the better!

The Truth About Fannie and Freddie

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:01:00 -0500

It's about time. The Republican National Committee has finally gotten around to creating an ad placing the blame for the subprime mortgage crisis squarely where it belongs - the Democratica Party.

Why it didn't come out BEFORE this colossal, socialist bailout last week is anyone's guess. Better late than never, I suppose.

Enjoy!

McCain Uses Barry As A Mop

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:30:00 -0500

Just finished watching the first presidential debate this evening and, although I thought McCain got off to a slow start, he seemed to command three-fourths of the debate. To me, Obama looked flustered, frustrated, and on defense much of the night. It's clear he doesn't have the understanding of foreign policy that McCain does, nor does he have the 'gravitas' - to pick an oldie but a goodie - to be Commander In Chief.

Also, for an old guy, McCain and his campaign team are fast as lightning. Check out this campaign ad the McCain camp posted on YouTube less than and hour after the debate. In a word: priceless.

Breakfast Cereal Madness

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:58:00 -0500

My family and I just returned from a long trip to Baltimore on Sunday. To keep my five year old and three year old daughters entertained and nourished while on the road, we took with us the following: two dozen DVDs, about a dozen books, two packs of crayons, coloring books, three or four stuffed animals, a six pack of juice boxes (apple in you need to know), a 12-pack of Gatorade (classic orange flavor - the BEST!), a bag of Goldfish, a bag of apples, a bunch of grapes, a six-pack of Mandarin oranges, and a six-pack of apples sauce.

But, one of our favorite snack items was a pack of those miniature cereal boxes, all of them sugary cereals that were a mainstay of Saturday mornings while I was growing up. There was Cocoa Krispies, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, Honey Smacks (weren't these called Sugar Smacks years ago), Corn Pops, and Frosted Flakes. If I hadn't been doing most of the driving, I probably would have fought off both of my daughters for the Frosted Flakes. My opinion FF is the best breakfast cereal ever, followed closely by Froot Loops.

The images of Tony the Tiger, Tucan Sam and that frog from the Honey Smacks commercials - or was it Sugar Smacks - with the pack-a-day voice, reminded me of a great bit from the criminally overlooked and underappreciated MTV series, Siffl and Olly. One of MTV's greatest shows, Siffl and Olly focused on a pair of sock puppets that looked like they were made by a fifth grade art class 10 minutes before filming began. It was fantastic, which meant, of course, MTV cancelled it in favor of more reruns of Real World-Road Rules Challenge.

In the video, Siffl and Olly interview a collection of mascots for breakfast cereals that never quite made it on to the supermarket shelves or in Disney Channel commercials. Absolutely hilarious. Click on it and enjoy!

Deep Purple Conga Line

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:01:00 -0500

Most people who have known me for any length of time know that I'm a big fan of the band Deep Purple. I've been a fan since 1984 when they reunited to record the underrated, and pretty freakin' awesome, Perfect Strangers album.

I try to keep my out for interesting versions of Deep Purple songs and, after discovering this version, I had to upload the video on The Backspace: First Draft Blog. It's Smoke on the Water performed by Senor Coconut and His Orchestra. Mix yourself a Pina Colada, put on your favorite Hawaiian shirt and enjoy!

Sneak Peek: Hayes High School Lacrosse

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:16:00 -0500

Back in March I had the opportunity to go out to a practice as the Hayes High School lacrosse team was preparing for its inaugural match against Hoover. It was a blustery, cold day on the field behind the 50-something year-old school building in the shadows of Birmingham's downtown, but it looked like any other high school practice you've every seen - kids stretching, running around, chasing each other and the ball, coaches screaming bloody murder. Usual stuff.

However, the Hayes lacrosse team was special in many ways. First and foremost, the Pacesetters (the school's nickname) were the first all minority lacrosse team in the Birmingham area and, as I learned during my interviews with the team's coaches, one of only a few in the country. In a city that continues to be known for its racial struggles dating back 50 years or more, this group of young men were truly trailblazers. Serving one of the most economically depressed areas of town, Hayes High School primarily serves African American and Hispanic kids, and most of the team the Hayes lacrosse team played come from the suburbs – wealthy, white suburbs. It's this mix of cultures that makes this story so interesting.

There is, however, another wrinkle to the story. You've probably noticed I've been using past-tense to describe the Hayes lacrosse team. That's because, even as donations and grants poured in from the U.S. Lacrosse Foundation and the Birmingham Lacrosse League, the city of Birmingham already announced that Hayes, as well as over a dozen other schools in the city's system, will close its doors at the end of the current school year. These young men will be dispersed among three different high schools throughout the city for the 2008-09 year. However, Mitch Damsky, one of the team's volunteer coaches, says the dream of establishing lacrosse in Birmingham's inner city won't die after only one year.

“We've promised the kids that wherever they go, we'll go too,” said Damsky. “Wherever they go, they're going to have an opportunity to play lacrosse.”

Read a preliminary proof of the story here (PDF). The article will appear in print form in the June issue of Portico Magazine. I'll have more about the team and its story in future posts of The Backspace: First Draft Blog.

Fire Alarms in the Kitchen

Thu, 08 May 2008 22:34:00 -0500

I've been writing for magazines now for about 8 years and, during that time, I've had the chance to interview quite a few characters. I've had the chance to meet with some fairly well-known names, such as Howell Raines (before getting tangled up in the journalistic sins of the New York Times), Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan, and UAB and former Indiana Hoosier head coach Mike Davis.

It's been a lot of fun and I've churned out some pretty good work during, if I must say so myself. I've introduced readers to a man named Pinky, eaten salmon in three different ways in one seating – most of them raw – and lived to write about it, and taken over the controls a Cessna single engine airplane 10 minutes after climbing in the cockpit for the first time. I've written about a fish named Leroy, a jazz musician nicknamed Sweet-and-Sour Chitlins, and a softball coach named Beanie.

But, there is one story that I had the opportunity to write that I continue to hear positive comments about almost five years after its publication in Portico, a lifestyle magazine here in Birmingham, Alabama . In fact, the new editor of Portico has asked for an updated version of the story for the fall. The story? Well, it was a simple piece on firehouse food called Four Alarm Fare.

Originally an idea I pitched to another magazine in Birmingham, the story was rejected and picked up by Portico for their regular food column titled Edibles and Elixirs. At the outset it was never considered cover story worthy until the photographer on the piece, Karim Shamsi-Basha, was convinced he had the cover shot shortly after snapping a few frames of the crew at Vestavia Hill Fire Station 5.

The cover focused on Wayne Quick, a firefighter and paramedic for Vestavia Hills and an avid marathon runner. Wayne is a terrific guy and, as I learned, a great cook. He prepared chicken Parmesean with whole-wheat pasta for his crew, Karim and myself on evening during the fall, and we all had a great time breaking bread together, laughing, joking, etc. I knew I had a great story before ever sitting down to type the first word.

The article ended up on the February 2004 cover of Portico, and was the issue the editors submitted to secure their first Folio award that fall. And, while I'm extremely proud of the success of the story, there was some good information edited out, particularly an anecdote surrounding another fireman named Shane Phillips.

Phillips was also a member of the Station 5 crew and was ribbed fondly by his colleagues for a little dish he made one evening that, let's just say, made an impression. Christened the 'Mexican Gut Bomb,' Phillips' concoction defies explanation. An insane combination of ground sirloin, chicken, taco seasoning, refried beans and other ingredients that a normal person may never combine, the Mexican Gut Bomb earned its name and reputation like a pool hall fighter with brass knuckles.

Phillips shared his recipe with me, which I included in my original draft of the story, but was edited due to 'space' concerns. However, thanks to the magic of the Internet, Shane Phillips' recipe for Mexican Gut Bomb appears here in the debut posting for the First Draft Blog. Grab the antacid and enjoy!

Shane Phillips’ Mexican Gut Bomb

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 pounds ground sirloin

2 pints sour cream

2 cans of refried beans

1 tomato

1 onion

1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese

1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 package of tortillas

1 Jalapeno pepper

1 jar salsa

1 package taco seasoning

Brown sirloin and then chicken in a little olive oil and taco seasoning. In a casserole dish, add a layer of tortillas. Spread base of refried beans over bottom layer. Spread sirloin over beans. Add a layer of tortillas, and top with sour cream and chicken and cover with cheddar cheese. Add another layer of tortillas and top with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Bake for 1 hours at 350 degrees, then spread salsa on top and serve.