Crimson Tide Roll Call: Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Today is... National Words with Friends Day

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Countdown to Crimson Tide's 2023 Season Opener:

45 days

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Former Alabama pitcher Grayson Hitt got paid by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who signed the fourth-round selection for $1.2 million. Hitt would have gone higher if he hadn't had his junior season at Alabama cut short by injury. The southpaw is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and had just eight 2023 starts. Though others stepped up, the absence of a prospect ranked among baseball's best was glaring.

4th-rder Grayson Hitt signs w/@Dbacks for $1.2 million (pick 112 value = $597,500). @AlabamaBSB LHP, looked like 1st-rder in fall but had TJ surgery this spring, mid-90s fastball/upper-80s cutter/mid-80s slider makes for nice combo when healthy & at his best. @MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/zUY88c1TSw
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 19, 2023

Fellow pitchers Hunter Furtado and Garrett McMillan, both drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, have also signed with their new team. Both were instrumental in the Crimson Tide's deep run in the postseason, and in McMillan's case, his efforts paid off with a second straight year of his name being called in the draft.

In addition to No. 1 Paul Skenes, the Pirates announced the signings of three more draft picks:
* 6th-rounder Hunter Furtado (scout: Darren Mazeroski)
* 7th-rounder Jaden Woods (Cam Murphy)
* 14th-rounder Garrett McMillan (Darren Mazeroski)
The Pirates have signed 11 of 21 picks.
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) July 18, 2023

Former Alabama basketball player Braxton Key, who ultimately transferred and closed out his college days with a national championship at Virginia, signed a two-way deal with the reigning NBA championship winners, the Denver Nuggets.

The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Braxton Key to a two-way contract. ✍️ pic.twitter.com/GvV7lyz83R
— Grand Rapids Gold (@NBAGrandRapids) July 18, 2023

On This Day in Crimson Tide History:

July 19, 1959: When asked about a 5 a.m. meeting with assistants Jerry Claiborne, Gene Stallings and Pat James in his office earlier in the day, Paul W. “Bear” Bryant said, "We have a lot of meetings and I can assure you they aren't social gatherings either." Bryant, who doubled as athletic director, was pleased with the ever-growing interest in the football program and especially with the report from ticket manager B.W. Whittington that all tickets to the Auburn and Tennessee games were already sold. — Bryant Museum

July 19, 1965: The famous Sports Illustrated cover of Joe Namath standing on Broadway was published.

Crimson Tide Quote of the Day:

“Miss Terry does not want me at home. I can tell you that. She doesn't care if I'm 60, 70, or 80. So she's looking for something for me to do. Now, I really enjoy what I'm doing right now, and as long as I'm healthy and I can do it, I'm going to continue to do it and not worry about any numbers or what my age is or anything like that. But I would not want to be in the position where I ever rode the program down because I wasn't capable of making a contribution that would be positive to the success of the program.” – Nick Saban

We'll Leave You with This:

zoom in on @QuinnenWilliams’ pen for a surprise pic.twitter.com/4q3FYqEFgp
— New York Jets (@nyjets) July 18, 2023

Countdown to Crimson Tide's 2023 Season Opener:

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