That is not what I labeled a misplaced value. The reverence of a football coach as if he’s the liberator of the country is a misplaced value.

But to your point, I am glad that you continue to view anything less than excellence as failure. For that attitude is ironically the biggest obstacle preventing Alabama football from improving significantly.

Analogy: A stock boy can strive to be a CEO every day, but he better be a damn good stock boy first. Then a while later be a damn good department manager, then store manager, then regional manager, etc., eventually working his way up to CEO.

By the same token Alabama better start beating the likes of ULM, then MSU, then better SEC teams, etc. before even mentioning the word “excellence” or as most bammers describe it a “NC.”

I once looked at the comment section as the “Locker room”. Occasionally I saw it as “The island of mis-fit toys”.

The above thread, showing mature sibling debate (among the family), should inspire an appropriate renaming of the “comment” section.

Any ideas?

No. There’s not one in every town whom people revere with such conviction. I highly doubt there are a handful sports figures world wide who draw eulogies 25 years later the way Coach Bryant has. It is simultaneously, a testament to his coaching prowess and to the misplaced values of the bama nation.

I know it’s tough to move on because bama football has sucked so hard for much of the time since his retirement/death (the 10-16 record vs. AU especially). Specifically, most of the last decade or so. One has a tendency to hold tight to the “good old days” when faced with present day disappointment — even if it hinders efforts to improve one’s situation. It’s human nature.

I honestly would hate to see the bammers stop their overt worship of the man. It yields such awesome ammunition and undermines their football program at the same time. What more can an AU man ask of them?

They think we should fear Saban, but they have no idea what a threat that program could be to its rivals if the bama nation were to actually let Bryant go, ban the wearing of houndstooth from BDS, accept their current place in the CFB hierarchy, hire a solid coach for a reasonable salary, have reasonable expectations, and attempt to move forward methodically.

Luckily, that is highly unlikely, and instead we heard about “two thousand and Saban” and how they have hired the next (next, next, next, next, next, no really, this time it’s the next) Bear and that they were going to be back on top shortly. Star Jackson for Heisman, you know.

I am also laughing at the notion that this post — in its mere mention of their deity — is somehow sanctified and at risk of being “cheapened” by my vile comments or their equally vile replies. Am I lost, or is this not EDSBS.com?

Speaking for myself, I have no problem with people having fond memories of Bryant and having very specific memories of one’s life when the man passed away: the same is surely true of other coaches — such as Curly Lambeau for Packers fans — or for atheletes or celebrities. I remember being particularly struck with the sudden and needless passing of Jim Henson.

And I hope he corrects me if I’m wrong, but I don’t thing Tiger has a problem with any of that, either. His (entirely fair) criticism wasn’t about your remembering Bryant, but that your adoration goes too far, noting that it is even to the detriment of the team you love.

Your name-calling kinda proves Tiger’s point, as does your mentioning Bryant in the same sentence as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. While you admit that he’s not in their ranks, you still writing that “they each did something great”, as if coaching a few football teams to a national title is even remotely comparable to winning the Revolutionary War or penning the Declaration of Independence. That’s disconcerting.

Productive? Not at all.

Neither is kicking an ant hill. But sometimes it’s just fun to see them get pissed off.

Regards,

TnA

To the Bama fans criticizing Tiger, I would point out three things about his behavior in this thread:

1) He praised Orson’s writing, in his very first comment, and has said nothing criticial about him personally or about what he wrote: “Great writing, Orson.”

2) He wasn’t critical of Bear Bryant, unless it’s critical to point out that he wasn’t a civil rights leader who should be held sacred.

3) The only critical comments were directed at Bama fans, that they take their adoration of Bryant entirely too far.

Like I say, it’s not productive for Tiger to have done this, but I don’t think it’s out-of-line — much less that it’s so beyond the pale that it justifies your reactions — nor do I think it’s inaccurate. Your reactions to his comments reinforce their validity.

That said, I hope his family, former player, and personal friends was comforted by their faith, family and friends at the time of his death and that Bryant himself is in a better place.

But it’s been 25 years. He wasn’t taken from this world before his time like Terry Hoeppner. When an admittedly hard living 69 year old passes it’s sad at the time, but they do pass. Let him go.

And though he’d never say it, I am sure Saban wishes you would too.