| FTBL Two ships passing in the night....

bamafan4ever

Staff
Member
Since we have a bye week, I hope some of you will forgive me for the continued 3rd Saurday in October talk.

First of all, this has been a great weekend of banter on RTB.com and thanks to everyone for making this such a fun place to spend time.

Message forums don't always give its readers the best sense of reality about the way a fanbase really is. We always try to keep it a little more "real" here but it is not always easy. As posters on message boards, we are some of the more outspoken members of any given fanbase. For instance, do I really think Tommy T. is the Devil? No, not really but its fun to vent and call him that sometimes. It's funnier to see the reaction of a few resident AU fans that always try to step in and try defend his honor like they have some sort of strange, personal relationship with the man.

It is also the "MO" of most fanbases on message boards to express their displeasure, in a harsh way, when things aren't going well. No one wants to see the program they support fail. It's funnier yet to see when these failures are attributed to some kind of conspiracy whether it's the Red Elephant Club hatching a diabolical plot to send Tubs to Texas A&M or whether it's BAMA fans that, no matter the evidence, blame others for their own administration's mistakes in the past.

I have not done so in a long time but I thought it would be fun to visit an old, UT fanbase board that featured some old nemesis like Roy Adams. The Vols have a date this coming weekend with Spurrier and his gaggle of 'Cocks but hardly any of the conversation is centered around that game. That game, believe it or not, could help decide the East this season. No, the talk over there is about how BAMA won a 41-17, based on paying the referees off and lists of replacements for Phil Fulmer. This is the same Phil Fulmer who many UT fans would bow down to and kiss his MNC ring from 1998 like he was the "Pope of SEC football" just several years ago.

The lists of excuses for UT getting smacked this weekend are long and in most cases laughable. From the play clock not working in the second half when UT had the ball (it should be noted that the refs never called a delay of game when Ainge took about 45 seconds to get a snap off during this period) to gratuitis attacks on Coach Saban. Of course, the irony in the attacks on Coach Saban is the fact that some over there want to empty out their pocket books to bring in another quality coach.

The lesson to be learned in all of this will never be learned by most. There will never be another dominant team in college football like there was 15, 20 years ago. If there was, USC would be working on its 4th straight National Championship. Instead, fans of the college game need to get used to the fact that there will always be fluidity. Yeah, your program may be the flavor of the day but invariably, those ships will pass in the night and you will take your place standing in the corner like your rival did. It's just a matter of time.

I never thought I would see one particular member of that board "man up" and admit that there was no conspiracy involved with a 41-17 pounding but to his credit, he did. The post stated that BAMA had nothing to gloat about. Here is "RoberNAtl"s response:

I think they have PLENTY to gloat about...

Hell, they kicked our asses up and down B-D for four quarters Saturday, and THAT was with a roster which, objectively, does not have as much talent as ours does. And they kicked the ass of their second-biggest rival (still don't think we will ever outrank Auburn in that respect) and their biggest tormentors both on and off the field the past 15 years. If all THAT is nothing to gloat about, then I fundamentally misunderstand the concept of gloating, and I don't think I do.

Good for you Robert. Now wave to that Crimson vessel with Captain Saban at the helm as it passes you on the starboard side! :D
 
Excellent post! I always try to be light sprited when it comes to reading message boards and posting on here. I sometimes think fans take it WAY too seriously and really forget to have fun.
 
Very nice read. We actually have quite a few talented writers on here. I've often joked that several of the more interesting, humorous, thought provoking etc. posts be gathered into a collection and published.
 
Speaking of his 1998 ring reminds me of something. Living up here you get tired of a lot of things from these over-confident UT fans, but one thing that drives me nuts, it that they still sell UT National Championship license plates for you car. If you cannot still purchase one at the court house, you are still allowed to renew the one you have, and believe me, people do. They often rag us about our pride in our "old" NC's, what about sporting a license plate that you renew annually that still says NC 1998? Give me a break!!!!
 
Arrr, we pirates appreciate a cap'n who knows how to chart a course. Cap'n Saban be one o' them kinda cap'ns.

Excellent post, 4ever. Just one question . . . when did we stop calling Tuberville "Wing-Nut"? :lol:
 
bamafan4ever said:
Since we have a bye week, I hope some of you will forgive me for the continued 3rd Saurday in October talk.

First of all, this has been a great weekend of banter on RTB.com and thanks to everyone for making this such a fun place to spend time.

Message forums don't always give its readers the best sense of reality about the way a fanbase really is. We always try to keep it a little more "real" here but it is not always easy. As posters on message boards, we are some of the more outspoken members of any given fanbase. For instance, do I really think Tommy T. is the Devil? No, not really but its fun to vent and call him that sometimes. It's funnier to see the reaction of a few resident AU fans that always try to step in and try defend his honor like they have some sort of strange, personal relationship with the man.

It is also the "MO" of most fanbases on message boards to express their displeasure, in a harsh way, when things aren't going well. No one wants to see the program they support fail. It's funnier yet to see when these failures are attributed to some kind of conspiracy whether it's the Red Elephant Club hatching a diabolical plot to send Tubs to Texas A&M or whether it's BAMA fans that, no matter the evidence, blame others for their own administration's mistakes in the past.

I have not done so in a long time but I thought it would be fun to visit an old, UT fanbase board that featured some old nemesis like Roy Adams. The Vols have a date this coming weekend with Spurrier and his gaggle of 'Cocks but hardly any of the conversation is centered around that game. That game, believe it or not, could help decide the East this season. No, the talk over there is about how BAMA won a 41-17, based on paying the referees off and lists of replacements for Phil Fulmer. This is the same Phil Fulmer who many UT fans would bow down to and kiss his MNC ring from 1998 like he was the "Pope of SEC football" just several years ago.

The lists of excuses for UT getting smacked this weekend are long and in most cases laughable. From the play clock not working in the second half when UT had the ball (it should be noted that the refs never called a delay of game when Ainge took about 45 seconds to get a snap off during this period) to gratuitis attacks on Coach Saban. Of course, the irony in the attacks on Coach Saban is the fact that some over there want to empty out their pocket books to bring in another quality coach.

The lesson to be learned in all of this will never be learned by most. There will never be another dominant team in college football like there was 15, 20 years ago. If there was, USC would be working on its 4th straight National Championship. Instead, fans of the college game need to get used to the fact that there will always be fluidity. Yeah, your program may be the flavor of the day but invariably, those ships will pass in the night and you will take your place standing in the corner like your rival did. It's just a matter of time.

I never thought I would see one particular member of that board "man up" and admit that there was no conspiracy involved with a 41-17 pounding but to his credit, he did. The post stated that BAMA had nothing to gloat about. Here is "RoberNAtl"s response:

I think they have PLENTY to gloat about...

Hell, they kicked our asses up and down B-D for four quarters Saturday, and THAT was with a roster which, objectively, does not have as much talent as ours does. And they kicked the ass of their second-biggest rival (still don't think we will ever outrank Auburn in that respect) and their biggest tormentors both on and off the field the past 15 years. If all THAT is nothing to gloat about, then I fundamentally misunderstand the concept of gloating, and I don't think I do.

Good for you Robert. Now wave to that Crimson vessel with Captain Saban at the helm as it passes you on the starboard side! :D
That's funny. I never knew Roy Adams was so prolific in the football world. He's a customer of mine. Nice enough old guy. Lives in a seedy neighborhood though.
 
bamaupsman said:
That's funny. I never knew Roy Adams was so prolific in the football world. He's a customer of mine. Nice enough old guy. Lives in a seedy neighborhood though.

Nice?

I could tell you stories...

Bama was not completely clean in the Means affair. We were not completely dirty either...but Adams was.

...water under the bridge now, but I have no great love for the man outside of that every Christian should have for his fellow man.
 
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