Alabama
Pike Road family gets pictures in all 67 Alabama counties, plus a bonus!
PIKE ROAD, Ala. (WSFA)— It started off with a simple picture taken while on a day trip to visit family. Five years later, one Pike Road family has quite a collection, and a memory they won’t forget.
“We were in Elmore County visiting my grandmother,” said Matthew Roberts. “We stopped by the courthouse, I’m not sure why. I got a picture of them sitting outside and I said, ‘Hey, why don’t we go to all 67 counties?’”
“He decided to take his idea and run with it,” said Jessica Roberts, Matthew’s wife. “So, we got to see the whole state.”
After the trip to Elmore County, the Roberts family started knocking out visits one county at a time.
“It’s so beautiful,” said Jessica. “We have the mountains and The Shoals in north Alabama and the beaches down south. We really have it all here.”
The kids had their favorites.
“I like Winston County because there was an Addison there,” said 7th grader Addison Roberts. “I was younger and thought that was cool.”
“I really like Marshall County,” said 5th grader Marshall Roberts.
Sure, it helps to have counties and cities they share names with, but mom says they saw all kinds of cool stuff.
“We did some of the 13 Alabama ghost places, we saw a giant oak tree in Geneva County, and we saw the unclaimed baggage in Scottsboro.,” said Jessica. “If there’s a tourist attraction in Alabama, we’ve done it and seen it.”
“I hope they learned a little more about seeing places and getting out of where your roots are and just seeing the great state of Alabama,” said Matthew.
With all 67 counties knocked out, they still needed one more picture.
“Our end goal was to meet the governor,” said Matthew.
So, we made it happen. Gov. Ivey was nice enough to spend some time with the Roberts family and check out their Alabama scrapbook.
“It was really cool we got to meet her,” said Addison.
So, five years, 67 counties, and a bonus picture with the governor is quite a journey.
“They may think their parents are dorks now,” said Jessica. “But, maybe one day they will look back when they have kids and take them to all 67 counties.”
Up next, the family says it may work on trying to visit all the state capitals.
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Alabama baseball is expected to hear another player’s name called as the 2026 MLB Draft gets underway today.
Several members of the Crimson Tide’s latest College World Series team are eligible for selection, but the biggest name to watch is shortstop Justin Lebron.
Over three seasons in Tuscaloosa, Lebron accumulated a .309 clip with 46 home runs. Defensively, he was just as impressive, posting a .947 fielding percentage to continue solidifying himself as one of the top shortstops in the draft class.
The first round of the draft will start at noon on Saturday, July 11. Picks one through 40 can be seen on TV at MLB Network.
Where Justin Lebron stands in final 2026 MLB Draft projections
In the final MLB Pipeline mock draft, Jonathan Mayo picked Lebron to go 11th overall to the Washington Nationals. Jim Callis selected Lebron as the pick for the Los Angeles Angels, going 12th, which is also what The Athletic predicted in its July 10 mock.
ESPN’s last mock draft had Lebron going 10th to the Colorado Rockies.
FanGraphs’ mock draft on July 8 projected Lebron as the 17th overall pick, going to the Houston Astros.
Lebron’s highest projection came from USA Today. Wajih AlBaroudi had the 21 year-old going 8th overall to the Oakland A’s.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. she can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com.
Alabama
Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing In Peanut Field Near Florida-Alabama Line : NorthEscambia.com
A single-engine plane made an emergency landing in an Alabama peanut field near the Florida state line on Friday afternoon.
The pilot and a student made the landing in the field after experiencing engine trouble, approximately 0.7 miles south-southwest of the runway at the Atmore Municipal Airport. There were no injuries.
The 2023 Diamond DA 40 NG plane belonging to Skywarrior Flight Training of Pensacola did not sustain any apparent damage.
For more photos, click here.
The incident occurred just north of Old Bratt Road, which is also known as State Line Road in Florida. The Florida-Alabama state line is generally considered to be along the middle of the roadway.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft begins Saturday, and Alabama Crimson Tide shortstop Justin Lebron has consistently been touted as one of the first 10-20 overall picks among analysts’ various mock drafts.
On Friday, CBS Sports released its final mock ahead of this weekend’s festivities in Philadelphia. Analyst Mike Axisa sees Lebron going to the Texas Rangers with the 16th overall selection.
Among college players, Lebron lands between Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick at No. 14 and one spot above Texas A&M second baseman Chris Hacopian in CBS Sports’ final analysis.
Axisa said of the possible Rangers-Lebron fit:
“The Rangers have a thing for ‘famous’ prospects in the draft (think Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker), and Lebron is one of the most famous prospects available this summer. About 18 months ago, he was the favorite to go No. 1 overall, but some uneven performances (and Cholowsky’s breakout) cooled that talk. Lebron has some of the loudest tools in the draft class. We’re talking speed, power, athleticism, the works. Approach and plate discipline concerns have held him back, though.”
ESPN sees Alabama’s Justin Lebron among top 12 MLB draft picks
In the final MLB mock draft by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel on Friday, Lebron goes 12th overall to the Los Angeles Angels. LSU outfielder Derek Curiel is taken one pick above Lebron by the Washington Nationals in McDaniel’s draft forecast.
“With a new interim head of baseball operations in John Mozeliak, who is mostly hands-off with the draft, the belief is that the scouts will get to make this pick. That doesn’t mean all prep upside because that’s not really what the board is giving them, but I could see the Angels selecting a college hitter with less polish and more upside, such as Lebron, who is a nice value here.” –Kiley McDaniel, ESPN.com.
Could Justin Lebron be a top-10 pick in 2026 MLB draft?
For The Win, part of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group, unveiled its 2026 mock draft on Friday. Wajih AlBaroudi has Lebron going as high as No. 8 overall to the Athletics and said:
“Lebron is a dynamic athlete whose only glaring flaw is his patience at the plate. If he can clean that up, he’ll be a fixture atop the A’s lineup.”
Keith Law’s final mock draft for The Athletic (subscription required for full access) has Lebron taken with the 15th overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Justin Lebron career stats at Alabama
Lebron batted .313 with a .414 on base percentage, 45 home runs, 39 doubles and 158 RBIs in three seasons for the Crimson Tide. He stole 69 bases in his collegiate career. This past season, Lebron hit .277 with 16 homers and 13 doubles as Alabama won 42 games and reached the College World Series for the first time since 1999.
Where to watch the 2026 MLB draft: time, TV channel, streaming
The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft begins Saturday in Philadelphia. Per Major League Baseball, rounds 1-4 start at noon CT. The first 10 picks will be televised on NBC and will stream on Peacock. Picks 11-40 can be seen on MLB Network beginning at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Rounds 5-20 begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. CT and can be seen on MLB.com.
Follow us at @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook, for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
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