Tulane finds refuge
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Tulane football players have hotel rooms with power, comfortable beds and running water. They have their computers and DVDs and a nice place to practice every day.
The Green Wave is still having to spend a week practicing away from home after New Orleans was evacuated because of Hurricane Gustav, but it’s nothing like the last time when Katrina uprooted their lives and sent them to Jackson, Miss.
“Guys don’t have the problems we had last time,” Tulane offensive tackle Troy Kropog said. “Nobody is overly worried. Last time we had to spend a few days in a gym sleeping on the floor with no power with 90- something-degree Mississippi heat.”
This time they have air conditioning and everything. Tulane’s football team arrived in Birmingham on Saturday to prepare for their game this Saturday at No. 24 Alabama after making arrangements ahead of Gustav last week.
The Green Wave practiced Monday morning at Samford University’s stadium in suburban Birmingham with a cool wind and the sun tucked away behind thick but not yet ominous-looking clouds. It seemed downright pleasant considering the circumstances.
“Everything’s just feeling pretty comfortable,” Kropog said. His family had scattered to hotels in Baton Rouge, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi from Metairie, La.
