Texas fans out in full force
Maisel E-Mails
Texas fans, judging by the invective filling my mailbox, clicked onto ESPN.com Saturday expecting me to sing "Texas Fight!" at cable-modem speed. Instead, they got a column warning that not all opponents would be as forgiving of the Longhorns' mistakes as Oklahoma.
This did not go over well. This burnt more than the fans' orange. The e-mail Saturday ran about 90 percent against me. The problem, I suppose, is that I didn't drink a drop of the orange Kool-Aid at the State Fair, although I did see the Elvis carved out of butter. Not only is there Elvis, crouched with a guitar, there's three hound dogs and a revolving doghouse.
Funny thing was, by Sunday, the e-mail turned. I'd say about 40 percent understood my point, which speaks to the power of emotion as a part of being a college football fan.
Cold-eyed analysis is never as popular as hagiography. My colleague, Gene Wojciechowski, discovered that fact two weeks ago when, after USC struggled to subdue Oregon, he suggested that it may be a good idea to wait a week or two before we call off the Rose Bowl and award the Trojans the crystal football.
USC fans responded in droves. After the Trojans fell behind 21-3 at Arizona State, one USC fan wrote Geno again to admit that well, maybe he had a point.
Likewise, my suggestions that the Florida offense might struggle longer than expected in the SEC raised the hackles of Gator fans. They've been engaged in Advanced Hackle-Lowering ever since.
Back to the Longhorn fans: My response to your various points is as follows:
• I lived in Texas long enough to know that, despite President Bush's occasional wrestling matches with the English language, there are qualified grammarians in the school system. That said, here's a helpful hint on contractions.
Incorrect: "Your an idiot."
Possibly correct: "You're an idiot."
• There's something about typing four-letter words that causes people to forget to sign their name.
• No, I didn't play college football. But when I wrote last week that I couldn't figure out how Texas could lose to Oklahoma, I hadn't played then, either.
• Hey, you want to play in the big leagues, you get judged by a higher standard. Texas could be great. The potential is obvious. But the teams at the top won't allow the Longhorns to get away with sloppiness.
USC, Virginia Tech and the other BCS candidates will be judged by the same standard. The Trojans get some slack because they have proven they can overcome their mistakes for 27 games now. When Texas wins another 15 in a row and is bearing down on multiple national championships, the Longhorns will get the same slack.
And now, on to the barbecue, yours truly on the spit.
Your critical article about Texas after a 33-point victory over Oklahoma was vile and unjustified rubbish. You and ESPN should be ashamed of putting such biased trash on the front page of your website.
Criticizing a team for only beating a Bob Stoops' coached team by 33 points show how out of touch with football you really are.
So, were you impressed with UCLA's 47-40 victory over Cal? Or maybe you were blown away by FSU's 17-point victory over Wake Forest? Or maybe you couldn't believe that USC built that 14-7 halftime lead over 1-5 Arizona? No, you were most struck by Texas' poorly played 33-point drubbing of Oklahoma.
I suppose it is possible, that even a "great" ESPN columnist can lose the forest for the trees.
Watch out for lions, tigers and bears, Sir, because you are lost "in" the forest.
Steven Joiner
Austin, Texas
First of all, the dateline on my story was Dallas. If I flew to Dallas for OU-Texas and wrote about UCLA-Cal or USC-Arizona, they wouldn't let me out too much longer. Second, I guess we are seeing different forests. You want to celebrate because you have an emotional stake. I don't have one. I stepped back -- so I didn't see the trees -- and tried to figure out what it meant for Texas long-term.
First, I bleed orange. Second, after taking five minutes to calm down and genuinely think about your article (Texas vs. OU), I wanted to tell you that it was a fair assessment of the team. Well, mostly fair. You are right about the penalties. You are right about the fumbles. If Texas doesn't take care of those, then they could easily drop a game. Of course, in the last few games USC has been flagged more times than NASA can count. But they have two titles, so I get the difference. There are lots of arguments that can be made for or against Texas being No. 2, and one could write a thesis entitled, "Areas Texas Can Improve."
But those arguments and comments should be made on Thursday or Friday, not yesterday. I know you said in your article that you weren't trying to rain on Texas' parade. I also know that regardless of what you said, I was soaked after reading your article. The criticism has its place, but after five years of embarrassment we just wanted to feel good for a day. We didn't want to hear about what we did wrong, we didn't want to hear that people question our legitimacy at No. 2.
Let Mack enjoy his win without instant criticism. Let Texas fans enjoy a feeling they haven't known since Bush lived in Austin. Let the players enjoy a feeling that none of them have ever experienced. Just let the parade go as scheduled. On Thursday, we would have been happy to put on our ponchos and let the criticism come. Sometimes, timing is more important than content. In conclusion, I apologize for the rant and acknowledge that your article was mostly fair. I enjoy your columns and think they are both well thought out and well written. Just wanted to let you know that I thought it was a good article at a horrible time.
Mark Hines
Houston
Fair point. The difference in my thinking is that, as I wrote last Friday in Three-Point Stance, I couldn't figure out how Oklahoma could win the game. I was, frankly, stunned at the uncertainty among Texas fans and Texas writers. But as I said above, I didn't have any emotion invested in the game. So the magnitude of the victory didn't surprise me. I didn't see it as a "statement" game.
A bit harsh don't you think? This was a thorough drumming of an average team -- nothing more, nothing less. I can't thing of one team in college football that is playing flawlessly. USC (no, and a cupcake schedule too boot), Virginia Tech (good but not clearly better than UT), Florida State (are you sold yet?), SEC schools (they will beat themselves into submission).
With all of the hype that the University of Texas receives, I can see it very appealing to point out their perceived vulnerability; but don't pile on after a team destroys it rival on neutral turf in the fashion that they were expected to. With or without Adrian Peterson and the officiating, this game seemed pre-determined. Let's just see how it all shakes out. Colorado, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M (in College Station) all present formidable opportunities for Texas to reveal what you believe to be an underlying weakness. In the mean time, we will be able to watch everyone else in the county show just how much parity there appears to be in college football this year.
Quit being jaded by all the hype that UT receives ... you guys created it.
Robert Kunco
Houston
I didn't feel jaded. Shoot, how can anyone who saw Elvis carved out of butter (review: four stars) before the game feel jaded? He's in the Creative Arts Building at the State Fair. Check him out.
I just want to write you and commend you on your article, "Alabama Provides History Lesson With a Win Over Florida." As a long time Alabama fan, I feel that your article perfectly captured the emotion of Bama's big win from both the fan and player perspectives. Your mention of the fact that, "Alabama won this game with overlooked homegrown players ... " was an insightful and dead-on assessment that most would not have recognized.
As the season goes on, Bama may not beat Tennessee, LSU, or Auburn. But for the first time in years we Bama fans feel like we have a good chance. I think that's all any fan can ask. Thanks for delivering the Gospel of Southern College Football to the masses. Roll Tide!!
Kevin Davidson
Pensacola, Fla.
OK, I wrote about Alabama's win and the emotion. Why not do that for Texas? Two reasons: Texas had a five-year drought against one opponent. Alabama had a five-year drought, NCAA probation, scandal, coach leave, etc. Two, Bryant-Denny Stadium is usually pretty quiet. It wasn't on that day. The difference, I thought, was striking.
Your previous column had a question about how Tennessee gets away with such dastardly scheduling, i.e., the Volunteers get a big advantage with two bye weeks this year. I would have hoped your response would have pointed out that Tennessee's schedule this year is second to none. It includes five top 10 teams, four of which are away games: Florida, LSU, Alabama, and Notre Dame. How about some respect for a team not afraid to schedule out of conference.
Jeff Patterson
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Several Vol fans wrote in to point that out. I didn't detect the slight when I ran the letter, but clearly, the reader who wrote letter struck a nerve.
I hesitated to run the next letter, for reasons that I will explain below. But the message here is too important.
After the Texas/OSU game, I read your column. I was wholeheartedly disappointed. Apparently you are not a fan of the Bucks -- fine. I wouldn't expect you to be. However, a hater through and through? You are a writer for the No. 1 sports outlet in the nation. Your thoughts were more than biased.
I read complaints from Texas fans only after they had left Columbus with a victory on their shoulders. I read nothing from OSU fans. I heard how hostile the environment was. I WAS THERE at that game. I was there from early in the morning until late after the game ended. I was visiting with friends and family-tailgating-enjoying the atmosphere. We greeted every Texan we saw and wished them well during the game. WE were not hostile. In fact, I walked around all day meeting new people -- Bucks to Longhorns -- all wishing each other well.
Now, I understand that there are some immature students (if not just visitors to the area) who will say and do intolerable things. That is only to be expected. They are clearly in it to win it, not to enjoy the game itself.
I have been a fan of the Big Ten since my inception. Like most Big Tenners, it's instilled in us before we can walk and talk. I am proud of my conference. It's powerful. It's good. It's compelling.
This past Saturday, I got a new idea of what it meant to be in the BIG Ten. I began to realize that I have a different sense of pride in my conference than some PSU fans.
My 63-year-old father -- and alumni of OSU -- took my 57-year-old mother to the game. This is their account.
"It was a hostile environment. Everything from liquor/beer bottles stacked higher than tents used for tailgating. Students hopping in front of us, spitting at us and yelling obscenities. Using words I haven't heard, possibly ever. We quickly learned to keep our heads down and move quickly. It was a frightening experience. The stadium seemed to be the only safe haven. We had to get out of the mess.
"Upon entering the stadium we found a more peaceful environment. Some older Lions shot us an occasional smile -- and we even found a couple Buckeyes in the bunch. That euphoria would not last long.
"The student section was made up of probably 12,000 students all in white. WOW! Now, they truly seemed to be behind their team. I was awestruck.
"Not long after the band [left] the field, it began. Not the game, but the destruction.
"The students harmoniously began to cheer, which on a good day would have been great. I would hope that they would cheer and get as loud as possible-this was the game they needed. But their cheers were not FOR their team, they were AGAINST ours. "F*** the BUCKS," "Ohio State CHEATS," and more that I have removed from my memory bank. They were loud. They were vulgar. They were the worst fans in college football.
"It continued throughout the entire game."
My parents left the game early. They were actually having such a terrible time that they decided to leave on their own accord. That doesn't happen, ever.
Mr. Maisel, please understand that I do not expect you to hold Ohio State up on a pedestal. But, I do ask you as a journalist to choose your biases more carefully. As you can see, we have a problem in college football, and it needs to be worked on before we lose the fun of the sport to juvenile games and finger-pointing.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Enjoy the rest of the season.
Lindsay Beuke
Chalfont, Pennsylvania
First of all, regarding the Texas-Ohio State game, I specifically included letters from Ohio State fans decrying the behavior of Ohio State fans.
Second, in the weeks since that game, I have heard from fans across the country, on all sides of this argument, or describing puerile behavior at some other game.
Third, I didn't run this letter to pick on Penn State, although it sounds as if they need to be picked on. What I have discovered over the last month is that the sport has a problem, and if something isn't done, as Ms. Beuke says, the sport will be diminished. Nobody wants to see that.
What should be done? I don't know. But I intend to figure it out. Stay tuned.
Ivan Maisel is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Send your question/comments to Ivan at ivan.maisel@espn3.com. Your e-mail could be answered in a future Maisel E-mails.
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