ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Coaches from the two teams playing in the BCS national championship game traveled Saturday to Disneyland for an appearance at the ESPN Zone, a sports bar and restaurant located at the entrance to the theme park.
Alabama coach Nick Saban drew a huge laugh from the media when asked if he was enjoying himself. The coach was greeted by Mickey Mouse as he stepped off the team bus, then sat down with ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer for a 30-minute session with the media. When he got up to leave, a Disneyland official tried to hand him a special BCS trophy of the Magic Castle, which he quickly passed to Alabama football media relations director Jeff Purinton.
This is what Saban calls "clutter," a series of distractions that has nothing to do -- in his mind -- with Thursday's game between top-ranked Alabama and second-ranked Texas.
"I told our players a story the other day about the U.S. hockey team," Saban said. "Probably one of the greatest victories of this century by any team was when they beat the Soviets in 1980, the 'Miracle on Ice.' Do you know what people don't remember? That didn't win the gold medal. They had to win the next game against Finland to win the gold medal.
"So what did they learn when they beat the Soviets? They learned when they made a commitment and everybody had a single-minded purpose and an I-won't-be-denied kind of attitude and everybody went out there and played their best what they could accomplish. Hopefully our players will learn some of the same things from what they did in the SEC Championship Game.
"The first thing I did when we came back from the SEC Championship Game is I drew a line on the grease board all the way across the room, the team meeting room, and I said, 'It's 32 days until we play the game. How you manage those 32 days is going to determine how you play in the game. And I can't control that for everybody in this room; you have to make those choices and decisions for yourself.'"
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Cornerback Johnson returns: Senior cornerback Marquis Johnson returned to practice Saturday wearing a cast on his left hand to protect a broken thumb.
"He practiced today and he's using his hand again," Saban said. "He didn't practice with a black shirt on, which means he was able to have contact. Now, whether he can catch the ball with a cast on his hand or not, he has caught some, but it could affect his ability to catch."
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McElroy's mojo: Saban was asked by several national reporters about the emergence of Greg McElroy this season, but said he learned more about the junior quarterback when he had some struggles during the middle of the season.
"Probably my biggest memory, to be honest with you, is when he had the dip, having a conversation with him about focusing on the right things, be who you are," Saban said. "I think he got to where he started to try to please everyone else, and he really wasn't doing what he needed to do as a player.
"And to see him realize that and sort of come back and improve and finish the season strong, that's probably (the) most significant (memory), at least for our team and for Greg."
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