Thursday, February 17, 2011

We Are All Tree Huggers Today

Don't drop the soap, D-bag



I can't tell you how many times I've been to the Corner after a win. I didn't go everytime. But I can tell you that every time I did go it was quite a scene. I think the thing that sticks in my memory is the smile on people's faces, young and old, fathers and sons, all just enjoying being around family.

That's the great thing about Auburn. It's a family. We choose to gather and celebrate at Toomer's because it is a great spot to do so. It is one of the great traditions of college sports.

But what Al from Dadeville fails to understand, along with basic human decency, is that killing two trees doesn't change anything. We all love Toomer's. But Auburn's spirit and soul are way more than just Toomer's. It is way less tangible than two beloved oak trees.

Here's a quick example of Auburn's spirit: I watched probably the worst Auburn basketball team in 30 years for no good reason battle back off the deck, coming from 19 points behind to win against Mississippi Sate Saturday. I cannot explain why I watched the whole game, nor why I was jumping up and down in my living room like Wes Byrum had just kicked another game winning field goal. I cannot explain it, except to say that I beileve in AUburn and love it.

The same thing hold true last spring when Creede Simpson took a 1-2 pitch and parked it over the left field wall. He never quit, even though I had little hope. Again, me jumping up and down in my computer room like a crazy man.

Or how about in 1998 after Terry Bowden up and quit in the middle of a game week? Auburn fans packed the house to cheer on my buddy Rob and his teammates that were beat up and banged up, both physically and emotionally, to a victory against La Tech.

I could go on for days about great moments, but each and every one of them tells the story of an unhindered spirit, of family.

You can poison Toomer's Corner, Al, but you will never poison our spirit. And you will never understand why, tree or no tree, it's great to be an Auburn Tiger.