bigsixfive 327 Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 I got this in an email. I didn't see it posted on this message board, but if it was please excuse me. Subject: thoughts from a Cougar on an AU message board 9/5/06 ________________________________ The state: Alabama is far more scenic than I imagined. This was my first trip to anywhere remotely near Alabama (other than brief lay-overs at airport hubs like Atlanta). I was impressed by the amount of forested land I saw. Shame about the kudzu... ("but it seemed like a good idea at the time" - ouch). The town: Auburn, at least what I saw of it, was very nice. I mostly just walked around the area along College Street from the old railroad depot up to the campus, but it was still pretty nice. Loved Toomers Drugstore - and the lemonade. Wow, what great stuff! I'm not inclined to be the type who buys t-shirts that promote a soft drink from a small town 2,500 miles from where I live, but I did take home a bright orange Toomer's Tee. Now I will never forsake my loyalty to my Cougars, but it DID cross my mind, if ever so briefly, to join in on the "All Auburn, All Orange" and wear it to the game. The campus: I realize that most college campuses are deliberately well-landscaped and have many stately looking buildings, but I gotta say this. We visited the bookstore on campus and began chatting with an employee there, a woman probably in her mid-40's. I mentioned what a beautiful campus it is, and her first reply was to apologize for all the on-going construction. Didn't even notice on the way in, I swear! I was too busy rubber-necking around at all the really fine brick buildings with the white window frames and trim. It all looked pretty spectacular to me. The Lovely Ladies: Dang. Maybe the rubber-necking I just mentioned about the buildings was all about something else far more eye-catching. But then I'm middle-aged and married, and I can't have the Mrs. worrying about where my gaze wanders. Yeah, that's right. It was the fine looking buildings I kept admiring. Right. The food: Absolutely fantastic. We had dinner at Mike and Ed's by the tracks. What a great casual little place, and what a gem of a restaurant! The barbequed shredded pork was hog heaven. The sauce was unbelievable. And all that great food, for two adults and a kid, for less than twenty bucks! I WILL find a time to return to Auburn, if for no other reason than to eat at Mike and Ed's! The stadium: I've been in only a handful of college stadiums that seat as many as 60,000 or more, but Jordan-Hare is easily the nicest I have ever experienced. The concourses were easy to maneuver, the landscaping along the sidelines lends a wonderful touch of class, and even being seated in section 35 or 36 (whichever it was), I really didn't think it was a bad seat at all. The band is huge, well choreographed, and plays very well. The student section was awesome. I was amazed at the precision of the pom-pom waving. Seriously, that probably sounds like a goofy observation to make, but everyone just moved in complete unison. Very impressive. I hope y'all don't mind if we find a way to borrow the "All Auburn, All Orange" idea. We've already been trying something similar with "Show Your Crimson", but I like using a slogan like "All Cougars, All Crimson", and having the coach tag one home game a year to do it. That way it doesn't get old. The War Eagle: wow. WOW. Can't think of anything else to say. Wow. Tailgating: Y'all would be sore ashamed of WSU (Wazzu to us Cougs) if you ever came to a Wazzu home game. What you will find in Pullman is nothing you would ever recognize as "tailgating." Oh, there are a few who get into it pretty enthusiastically, but the parking arrangements and the rather strict alcohol rules on campus tend to put a damper on much of that. Most of us also have to travel about 300-400 miles to attend home games. I don't know if that adds up to much of a reason - I don't know how far you travel - but it puts a limit on how much gear you can haul across the state for tailgating. Southern Hospitality: I've heard about it. I've seen it acted out on TV or in movies. I had never seen it until I arrived last Thursday. It really does exist. It is real. And Auburn fans surpassed my wildest dreams as to how classy you could be to a bunch of yankees. Seriously, I sort of braced myself for at least one lame "Damn Yankees" snort from someone, but it never happened. I was instead bowled over by incessant, effusive, and warm hospitality from everyone I met. Thank you all! You people are gems. The team: I am not an X's and O's guy. I'm sorry, but you will not get any great football insight out of me. However, I am impressed by your team's tenacity and talent. Your coaches are first rate. I am sure you will have a great season. I, and many, many of my Cougar brethren,will be rooting for you to win out. The future - AU vs WSU: Will you PLEASE do whatever you can to convince your Athletic Director to schedule a game with us back here in Washington? You now have many friends here, and we would love to return the kindness showered upon us in Auburn. We started a routine about five years ago of playing one "home" game every season in the Seattle Seahawk's Qwest Field. It's a great facility, and Seattle is much easier to get in and out of than Pullman. It seats about 67,000, so the payout would be decent. On the other hand, we'd love even more to host you in Pullman. The stadium only holds about 37-40 thousand (with an expansion plan in the works), but the atmosphere on game day has at least some similarities to Auburn. We don't have lemonade at Toomer's, but we DO have the best damned ice cream you'll ever eat at Ferdinand's. My favorite SEC team: For now and always, Auburn. War Eagle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaReAgLe57 2 Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Thanks for sharing this with us, I like to know what other fans think about our whole gameday atmosphere. and from that i think we are doing pretty good . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoAU 1,600 Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Thanks for sharing - it's nice to hear about visitors enjoying themselves at Auburn (especially when they loose ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draven 0 Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Thanks for sharing, its good to see such positive things said about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerfan1234 0 Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 That was a very nice response by the WSU guy. I have always wanted to make a trip to the northwest. An An Auburn game would certainly justify my urge. One of my favorite hobbies is touring college campuses across the country. One day I plan to own a mid-size camper or RV and want to tour all the campuses I can find. Would love to see WSU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue93 0 Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 That's pretty strong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubrandon 5 Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 That was awesome to hear an opposing teams' fan to speak so highly on Auburn. I know personally that I used to give the opposing team a little greif. Nothing that was too serious, just some home team polked fun. All of that changed went I went on my first road game last year. Yes, I raided "Death Valley" home of the LSU Tigers. I was extremely nervous walking down the main drag to the stadium. Purple and Gold was every where. I heard all of the tiger bait references and was called things that only the backwoods cajuns would know what they said. However when I got in the stadium I sat by some pretty good folks. We talked before and after the game about anything and everything. Even some of the alumni went out of their way to speak to us. Now don't get me wrong, When the game was on they were extremely hostile, but when the game was over they were cool. Now people, I took all of this in stride. I know now how the opposition feels so I started to treat them the same way Baton Rouge treated me. I greet the opposing team, shake thir hands, especially pretty females, talk with them a little, and still polk some funzies in there. It is amazing to see the opposing teams react to kindness and a little fun compared to the other reaction. THIS ARTICLE SAYS IT ALL. Great job Auburn. DISCLAIMER: None of the Bama fans are eligible for the kind treatment. We will still get together and them. We will still call them the ice cream cone freakin obnoxious cheaters that they are. The school and their fans make me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG-91 1,483 Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Thanks for sharing that e-mail...and I agree with the guy about the kudzu. One day I plan to own a mid-size camper or RV and want to tour all the campuses I can find. I'm with you 100% on that...if I ever won the lottery and could afford to quit working, that'd be one of the first things I'd do for myself. Going to college football games was/is my excuse to travel and see different places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boonan 0 Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 If there's something I've noticed it is that out of conference people pretty much always speak wonderfully of the place and their treatment, but conference people whine about how they got cursed out, beaten up, and whatnot. So are we just nice to other conferences, or do the in-conference people just like making crap up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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