Don’t blame fandom for Toomer’s Corner oaks poisoning

Let's keep the blame for the poisoning of the Toomer's Corner oaks where it belongs. (Associated Press)

Let's keep the blame for the poisoning of the Toomer's Corner oaks where it belongs. (Associated Press)

The temptation among some in this whole sorry Toomer’s Corner oaks affair is to shake their heads and say, “Those crazy Alabama fans,” or huff and puff about SEC football and its fans being out of control.

But it’s patently unfair to take the actions of one individual who uses his fandom for a college football program as an excuse for destructive behavior and lay them at the feet of the school or blame the intensity of big-time college football. Just as it makes no sense to take anyone who commits a shocking crime and somehow attribute it to his race or religion or make the leap to blaming it on society in general.

Remember the guy who threw security into a tizzy and briefly shut down the Atlanta airport a few years back by running down the “up” escalator, and how some idiots tried to use it as an opportunity to bash the University of Georgia simply because he was a Dogs fan on his way to a game?

That was illogical and unfair, and so is blaming the University of Alabama, Crimson Tide fandom, the Alabama-Auburn rivalry, the SEC or college football in general for the poisoning of the oaks.

I like the way the Senator put it at Get the Picture (though I have to sanitize it for a family newspaper’s audience): Sometimes people behave like complete [jerks] simply because they’re complete [jerks].

IT’S NOT TOO LATE…

I speculated here a while back that for those young Dogs fans who haven’t been able to afford the minimum “buy-in” level of a Hartman Fund contribution to get season tickets, the aftermath of a disappointing season might make this the year to make the move.

And, indeed, it looks like donations to the Hartman Fund, aka the Bulldog Club — which entitle the donor to buy season tickets — must be flagging this year. The donation deadline was Tuesday, and yet two days after that a notice was put up on Georgiadogs.com that “If you have not yet made your 2011 contribution, please donate today to ensure you receive season ticket priority for the 2011 season.”

In other words, the deadline has passed but they’re still soliciting donations.

Even if you don’t want to buy season tickets for 2011, a donation of at least $100 to the Hartman Fund makes you eligible to request tickets to the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome between the Dogs and Boise State.

So what are you waiting for?

You can find out more here.

Find me on Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter.

— Bill King, Junkyard Blawg

382 comments Add your comment

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
3:40 pm

UGA Bubba

February 18th, 2011
3:41 pm

Auburn Fan: It was widely know, just like the fact that the NCAA is so far up Auburn ass that it will have to use a toothbrush to wipe it azz. Auburn’s cheerleaders are so easy now that they had to go cash and I phones.

Just the facts sir

February 18th, 2011
3:42 pm

WIN WITH RICHT

February 18th, 2011
2:30 pm
ClinchPanther

“I agree. It must be some kind of sick outhouse obsession. Those folks act like were raised with corn cobs and have just discovered toilet paper.’

Win with Richt,

The last 2 bcs titles reside in the state of Alabama. Any bcs titles in Georgia? Nope? I didn’t think so. Jealous much?

JD

February 18th, 2011
3:43 pm

After reading blog comments from fans from Alabama and Georgia regarding Auburn and Cam Newton, I’m surprised that they didn’t get together to poison the trees. Maybe it would be a good idea to tone down the hate, but it won’t happen. I remember going to Auburn in the middle of the night and “removing” items from our corresponding frat house and returning them after our game on Saturday. We didn’t go to burn the house down or kill the trees or kill the bulldog at GA. It’s a football game after all. Permanent damage or cruelty to animals is stupid.

Dan

February 18th, 2011
3:44 pm

Being from the North I have no real college allegiance which gives me a level of objectivity. I count among my close friends, Dawgs, Gators, Tides ??, Tigers, Vols, etc. Most of whom are avid but gracious (though that graciousness has on occasion been tested by beverage) and while I appreciate the avid fan, I have observed at least as much that is so overblown as to go flying by avid and cruising through sad, ironically the saddest, meaning there life revolves around such a voyeristic pastime, are those who have never attended the college that evokes that passion (or compulsion) and ALL are rife with absolute idiots. ml who above blamed those who look on and say nothing is 100% right. We should take a blind poll and ask the fan bases in the SEC what they really thought of poisoning the trees, I feel quite confident the results would be pretty evenly split between genius and atrocity

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
3:45 pm

“It was widely know, just like the fact that the NCAA is so far up Auburn ass that it will have to use a toothbrush to wipe it azz. Auburn’s cheerleaders are so easy now that they had to go cash and I phones.”

Ok, so if it’s “widely known” you’ll have no problem producing the evidence to back up your claim. NCAA up Auburn’s butt??? LOL, ok ma’am.

“Auburn’s cheerleaders are so easy”

LOL!!!! Dude, do you always make up crap?

Speaking of easy: Damon Evans was arrested late Wednesday night in Buckhead after a trooper says he saw Evans driving erratically. Evans is charged with DUI and failure to maintain a lane.

A female passenger who was in the car with him, 28-year-old Courtney Fuhrmann, was charged with disorderly conduct.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/local_news/police-report-released-uga-ad-arrest-damon-evans-20100702-pm-es

5150 UOAD

February 18th, 2011
3:45 pm

How 2
Can you imagine living tha long? I can’t. I am not sure I want to. I am sure the LIFE VIEW changes A LOT when people get that old. All this STUFF we joke and argue about would just make moste people laugh that lived through hard REAL hard times. We might be in bad shape but I HAVE a COMPUTER a Cell Phone and a 52″ Flat screen TV with Satalight to watch GAMES. HAHAHAHA and this is a Depression? HAHAH. Well, yes it is but it is different for the 20′ version.
Thanks for your compassion.

UGA Bubba

February 18th, 2011
3:47 pm

Auburn Fan: You must remember your short fat coach back then. He got tired of the recruits getting all of the girls that he got a couple for himself and ended up getting fired for it. It was quite seedy and perverse. Not to mention the other rumors about the james bang in the fieldhouse. Now do you remember? Or was it the sheep over at the vet school.

A.Bishop

February 18th, 2011
3:47 pm

Auburn Fan, before you talk about how stupid UGA students and graduates are like myself, you should do some research. Auburn is not a good school academically. UGA is ranked in the top 100 public schools in the nation.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/06/best-public-colleges-opinions-colleges-09-top.html

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
3:48 pm

The final grades for the 2010 season are in for all 12 SEC teams, and here’s a quick review:

* Alabama: B-
* Arkansas: B+
* Auburn: A+
* Florida: C-
* Georgia: D-
* Kentucky: C-
* LSU: B+
* Mississippi State: B+
* Ole Miss: D
* South Carolina: B+
* Tennessee: C+
* Vanderbilt: D

UGA scored the lowest of ANY SEC team. LOL

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
3:49 pm

UGA Bubba

You can post all the crap you want but if you can’t back it up……..

UGA Bubba

February 18th, 2011
3:50 pm

Aubie: Man you sound uptight – that dude was just having so fun. If you want to get legal on me just go back to the cheating being done by coach cheatnik. Man if you have to cheap to get a NC what is the point.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
3:50 pm

A.Bishop

That article is 2 years old. Try again.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
3:52 pm

“cheating being done by coach cheatnik.’

What cheating? Chizik nor Auburn has been accused of anything.

“Man if you have to cheap to get a NC what is the point.”

Where’s the proof that Auburn cheated?

UGA Bubba

February 18th, 2011
3:54 pm

Aubie: A+? Get a life! With simple simon majors at your thrird tier school that is no surprise. You call yourself Auburn but you still API! ( Awful Pubic Institue or Auburn polytechnic Institute

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
3:55 pm

UGA Bubba

“There was no evidence that money had changed hands and there was no evidence that Auburn University had anything to do with it. We would up making a decision that felt to many people morally objectionable, but that fit the facts and the circumstances.

- NCAA president Mark Emmert

LakeDawg

February 18th, 2011
3:55 pm

Apparently, Bill, you don’t know Bama fans. They ARE crazy as hell. Mass hysteria. There isn’t another group of fans like them in the country. I know, I have first cousins who are Bama fans. All the evidence you need is in the reaction to the tree poisoning incident, not in the incident itself. Look at all the respectable Bama people rationalizing this incident. By the time football season rolls around there will be a conspiracy theory about this incident laying all of the blame on AU and Bama fans will believe its true. You think I’m joking…just wait. LMAO

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
3:56 pm

“Get a life! With simple simon majors at your thrird tier school”

LOL, you can’t even spell THIRD!!!!!!! Dude, you are really struggling. Then again, you didn’t go to college so it’s really funny that you make fun of a major university.

“You call yourself Auburn but you still API! ( Awful Pubic Institue or Auburn polytechnic Institute’

And again, you misspell another simple word.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
3:57 pm

“Aubie: A+? ”

Yeah, Gump. That’s what grade a team gets when they go 14-0 and win a title. UGA wouldn’t know anything about that because it’s been over 30 years since their last title.

Sucks to be you.

Fire wood for sale

February 18th, 2011
4:00 pm

Now auburn can sell some fire wood to pay for next years recruiting class!!!!

UGA Bubba

February 18th, 2011
4:01 pm

Aubie: Admit it; your school is just not acedemically relivant. You have an average football program and because of that came up with a plan to gain some much needed respect by wining a NC. It have beenat least 50 years since your one and only NC so the pressure was on. To get it done you cheated but you were caught be almost everyone and the NCAA has launched a second investigation. Man you ar going down. Same!

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:01 pm

Here is the most current ranking of universities in the country. Only three southern schools rank in the top 20 and none of them are UGA. In fact, UGA isn’t in the top 50. Auburn and Alabama are right next to each other.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/spp%2B50/page+2

GRIM TREEPER

February 18th, 2011
4:01 pm

All that needs to happen now is for another Updycker to be waiting with a Remington when the eagle starts his flight and bust a round of #6 shot to his mid-section. Oh yeah, that would be a great sight to see, muuuuaaahhahhhhahah!

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:03 pm

“Admit it; your school is just not acedemically relivant.”

Dude, you are hilarious! AGAIN, you misspell two simple words! Speaking of irrelevance, I wonder how bad UGA will be at football in 2011.

“You have an average football program”

Since when is 14-0 average?

“It have beenat least 50 years since your one and only NC”

No, it’s been one month, bozo.

“To get it done you cheated but you were caught be almost everyone and the NCAA has launched a second investigation.”

LOL!!!!! You must not be able to read.

“There was no evidence that money had changed hands and there was no evidence that Auburn University had anything to do with it. We would up making a decision that felt to many people morally objectionable, but that fit the facts and the circumstances.

- NCAA president Mark Emmert

“Man you ar going down.’

I am? LOL

KimZ'sPackage

February 18th, 2011
4:03 pm

This has become the white guys talking about who has the bigger little PACKAGE. You people do know your are in the DUMBEST part of the country? THE SEC is not held in respect in the COLLEGE world for your graduates. You people do know that? Cry about Ohio St, MIT, Perdue. Harvard, Boston College, Notre Dame, and any Big Ten school and the SEC is a JOKE. You guys make PRO PLAYERS that will be broke in 10 years. If you want a great COACH and MAN maker look at DUKE and Coach K. Not all his players go to the NBA, but they graduate and become COACHES.

UGA Bubba

February 18th, 2011
4:03 pm

Aubie: Man I thought you had upped you IQ there for a moment – but it was from your president.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:04 pm

“All that needs to happen now is for another Updycker to be waiting with a Remington’

Yep, and she is right here: UGA Bubba

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:04 pm

“You people do know your are in the DUMBEST part of the country?’

Mmmmmm, no that would be the Midwest and West Coast. Those states are going bankrupt.

GRIM TREEPER

February 18th, 2011
4:05 pm

“If you gonna cheat in Thibodaux, son, you better be from LSU”

I bet you chumps will be reading a lot about this quote in the next few weeks.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:05 pm

“Man I thought you had upped you IQ there for a moment”

Says the girl who can’t even spell! Classic.

“but it was from your president.”

Since when did the NCAA president change places with Auburn’s president?

Stupid much?

A.Bishop

February 18th, 2011
4:06 pm

Auburn Fan

Are you really stupid enough to think that your second rate school could have gained that much ground on UGA in two years? I guess so. You’re an idiot. The end. Go home to your trailer with your fat wife. I’ll see you in a week so you can pump my gas.

But since you want a more recent list here you go. You will have to keep going a ways to find Auburn. UGA #56 Auburn #85.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/page+7

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:09 pm

“Are you really stupid enough to think that your second rate school could have gained that much ground on UGA in two years?”

Show of hands here. Who actually went to UGA and graduated? Crickets…..crickets…..crickets……

“You’re an idiot. ‘

Awe, some pansy little girl is calling me an idiot!!!!!!

“Go home to your trailer with your fat wife.’

Why would I ever want to go to your house?

“I’ll see you in a week so you can pump my gas. ‘

Oh, you mean when you bring your pizza delivery car by?

“UGA #56 Auburn #85.”

And neither one is in the top 50 nor is either school Harvard.

UGA Bubba

February 18th, 2011
4:09 pm

Aubie; You have a racist friend!. But dude Im not white. Shoot the war eagle. Don’t do it. That poor bird has had to fly down that sorry field so many times it should be released. What a bull shiz story anyway. Sorry for my spelling – I’m on two blogs now and can’t type fast enough.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:12 pm

“You have a racist friend!”

You must have me mixed up with one of your klanner buddies.

“But dude Im not white.’

And I care, why?

“That poor bird has had to fly down that sorry field so many times it should be released.’

Yeah, it’s seen Auburn go 14-0. I feel more sorry for all the dogs that UGA keeps on parading around for two seasons before the heat or cancer kills.

“Sorry for my spelling”

You should really be telling that to your special ed teacher.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:14 pm

A. Bishop

Just for you, ma’am

1/4 of Georgia college students need remedial work

About one in four freshmen who attended a Georgia college last year took remedial classes, according to data released Tuesday by the University System of Georgia.

http://www.ajc.com/news/1-4-of-georgia-589237.html

GRIM TREEPER

February 18th, 2011
4:14 pm

What is the definition of safe sex down at Auburn?

Placing a sign on the animals that kick…

UGA Bubba

February 18th, 2011
4:15 pm

Aubie: First there is no official NC. I was refering to before the cheating started you molt! Ollk at what the SEC teams have done wining the NC. UA has what 12 or more? And Auburn has one and now two if you count the cheated one. Wow what a college power. I know of a school that has been out of the SEC for 50 years with more titles that you have. SO: you had to cheat to get it. Now get ready to pay the price. I’m got some plowing to do so I’m back to the UA blog

GRIM TREEPER

February 18th, 2011
4:15 pm

Why are rectal thermometers banned at Auburn University?

They cause too much brain damage.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:15 pm

GRIM TREEPER

Wow, that was such a profound joke considering the state of GA lead the nation in beastiality from 1980-2001.

GRIM TREEPER

February 18th, 2011
4:16 pm

How can you tell when there’s been an Auburn student in your backyard?
The garbage is gone and your dog’s pregnant.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:17 pm

UGA grad

Cops: Man had sex with several horses

37-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly having sex with several horses, police said.

Byron Christopher Jordan was apparently caught in the act Tuesday morning by the owner of the horses, who called Covington police. Jordan was charged with bestiality, a felony in Georgia, and with giving an officer a false name.

http://www.ajc.com/news/cops-man-had-sex-556119.html?cxntlid=cmg_cntnt_rss

GRIM TREEPER

February 18th, 2011
4:17 pm

How do you compliment an Auburn fan?
Nice tooth.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:19 pm

A lady called the UGA police to report a car jacking. They said they were too busy right now and for her to just get the jersey number and call back later.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:19 pm

Why were the UGA football players so upset about the library fire?

Because most of the books hadn’t been colored yet.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:20 pm

What does Coach Richt’s hair and UGA’s BCS hopes have in common?

They are both fading fast.

Fleischman in Chattanooga

February 18th, 2011
4:20 pm

Poor Auburn Fan has his panties in a wad. The only good thing about Auburn is the sign that points everyone in the direction of I-85.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:20 pm

What has two teeth, is black and red, and is 100 yards long?

The front row at a Georgia game.

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:20 pm

What did the UGA grad say to the Auburn grad?

“Would you like fries with that?”

UGA Bubba

February 18th, 2011
4:21 pm

Aubie: One last thing; I have crossposted some of you wisdom on the UA blog. You are cracking them up! Phil is right you ARE fun!

Auburn Fan

February 18th, 2011
4:21 pm

Why do graduates from UGA hang their diplomas in their windshields?

Because then they can park in handicapped spaces.