To be an Auburn person . . .

[lca408 380]

To be an Auburn person, not just a fan, on this day? Well words can't express my feelings. It is at times like this that I feel the orange and blue blood in my veins pulsing even stronger than ever. I thought about that last night on my drive home from work. The events of yesterday make me soo much more thankful to be an Auburn person. Am I sad about what has happened? Absolutely. There's not a part of me today that doesn't feel sadness or some type of despair because of the actions of a moron. But I also could not be prouder.

You can sit and read the facebook posts by Bammers who have nothing better to do than make fun of Auburn fans and make light of the situation. I did that last night and it made me angry. But it also strengthened my resolve and my allegiance. Standing out at Toomers at 10 pm last night, I met up with some friends of mine who randomly showed up at the same time. We stood and watched as our fellow students threw toilet paper into the loving branches of the Toomers Oaks. I even threw one myself. And suddenly, I wasn't as upset. I know that whatever happens, everything will be okay. The trees lived a good long life and eventually we will replace them. Part of me wishes for retribution just to see the look on their faces but most of me says "No. You were raised to be different from them and you will raise your children to be different from them. You are an Auburn person and you will act with class because an Auburn person is all class."

The creep that did this is not representative of the University of Alabama as much as we may love to joke and make fun of him. Mal Moore made apologetic and sympathetic comments earlier today. I know plenty of Bama fans that feel the same way. While I appreciate their sentiments, neither I nor Auburn require an apology. It is time to show class and respect today because we all know that every Bama fan out there feels this in the pit of their stomach. They are ashamed at various levels and for us, that should be enough. Today is one of the only days of my 25 year life where I can remember Bama fans actually realizing their own shortcomings and showing some humility in the process.

I am always proud to be an Auburn person but especially so today! I am soo thankful that I am not one of them and I hope you are too!

War Eagle!

Ryan

[Bama My Heart 5]

I wish this could bring both fanbases closer, because of the mutual hate for a common enemy, but we know that's not going to happen. I just can not in my wildest dreams imagine someone doing something like this. I got ill about the rye grass with the score being put out at Bryant Denny, and we can easily fit that. I am just not one that believes in bothering with anyone's property, regardless of your reasons. I love Bama football, and am accused of being obnoxious about it, but I can assure you that I wouldn't even think to do something like this.

This situation is only going to make the rivalry worse. It's supposed to just for the game, but in the past few years it has gone way beyond that. We're adding extra security, and so are ya'll, and then the game day each year, you know the press will pump it up, and someone will get hurt. It's scary, and it's not supposed to be that way, but I don't see what we can possibly do to stop this. The Universities can't control all of their fans, because a lot do not attend the university or have graduated, and what control do they have with them. It is just a mess, and I hate it having to be this way.