From: guy@mspe5.b11.ingr.com (Guy D. McConnell)
Subject: Re: Blame it on Gino
Reply-To: guy@mspe5.b11.ingr.com (Guy McConnell)
Organization: Intergraph Corp. Huntsville, AL
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 22:13:43 GMT

In article <C0EKy1.4zI@encore.com>, jfawcett@encore.com (Jason Fawcett) writes:
|> News-Software: NN 6.4.16
|> 
|> In article <C0CpMr.IG9@cs.uiuc.edu>, bharat@cs.uiuc.edu (R. Bharat Rao) writes:
|> > 
|> > Actually, I think Miami's "taunting" image is no longer true. 
|> 
|> |From: guy@mspe5.b11.ingr.com (Guy D. McConnell)
|> |    They ran up and down Bourbon Street jawing at the Tide players all week.
|> |Their comments were hardly complimentary.  They (especially lamar thomas) stood
|> |in front of the Alabama fans and taunted them before the game.  Their captains
|> |refused to shake hands before the game.  The only reason that they did none of
|> |their characteristic actions on the field was that Alabama gave them no chance
|> |to do anything to celebrate about.  Perfect gentlemen.
|> 
|> Let's not act like Bama's fans were acting like perfect little angels.  Bama's
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^
|> fans are experts on " TRASH TALKING and TAUNTING ".  
   ^^^^

    I wasn't at the game but I don't doubt that a large contingent of the loonies
turned out.  The original post was about the *players'* behavior, i.e. "taunting",
not the fans.  The coaches cannot control the fans.  They can only coach the team
to act with class and hope that the example will be followed.  Unfortunately, it
isn't.  Of course the Miami fans had no such example of good behavior from *their*
team and they have quite the reputation for, ah, welcoming opposing teams to the
Orange Bowl.

|> The several thousand Bama fans ( i.e. 10,000 ) wore a button for days that said;
|> 
|>                        FUCK MIAMI
|>                           or
|>                        PISS on MIAMI
|>                           or
|>                       TO HELL WITH MIAMI 

    *All* of them?  Amazing.  Tell me, how did you come by this knowledge?  For
what it's worth, an estimated 50,000 Bama fans were present so, even if you are
correct (and I'm not conceding that), only 1/5 of them had the buttons.  What do
I think of the buttons?  I personally don't like them and this is the first I've
heard of them.

|> Not even kids were safe from the Bama's Lynch mob.  Dennis Erickson's 14 year
|> old son was punched in the face a few times, and knocked to the ground,  at
|> the Super Dome by several 25 year old Bama fans.  There was no excuse, for
|> that type of crap.

    If it happened, there certainly is no excuse.  Again, the Fawcett News Service
is the first I know about to report it.  Again, how did you know that they were
"25 year old Bama fans" if such a thing really occurred?

|> Miami fans were out numbered 6 to 1.  Walking back to the car through the 
|> French Quarter with Hurricane colors was very dangerous.   Lots of fights,
|> lots of arrests.  After the game the alcohol was talking, and so was lot's
|> of ANGELIC BAMA fans. It was wild in the streets.

    Sounds like others' descriptions of trips to Miami.  It still doesn't excuse
it in my mind.

|> The Miami Ibis mascot was shot in the face on New Years Eve, when he
|> was cheering with the Miami's Cheerleader on Bourbon Street. The police
|> did feel that this was a random shooting, but most Cane fans didn't
|> hear that it was random until the day after the game.   

    So why do you include it here?  That was reported on the local news the day
before the game.  It also mentioned that the bullet had come down, struck him on 
the cheek, glanced off of his cheekbone, and exited his cheek.  They said it was
"apparently fired into the air by someone in celebration of the new year."

|> Go ahead a put all the blame on the Canes. IMHO, 98% of the Bama fans even
|> with the button were very nice to talk with before the game.   If, Miami's
|> players were jawing, and the Bama players were perfect quite angels, then
|> the rest of the Bama fans sure made up for the extra jawing and trash talking.

    As I said, I'm sure there were quite a number of obnoxious Alabama fans
present.  Still, I have talked with several Bama fans who sat in the Miami 
sections(s) and they were subjected to severe verbal abuse.  One person I know
was surrounded by Miami fans.  In front of her was a particularly boistrous Cane
raiser who would turn around and yell "Roll Tide" and "F*ck You" while showing
his I.Q. on both hands.  He had a his little boy with him and the child was in
tears before the kickoff because of his father's rantings.  Of course, we all
know that the Alabama fan probably punched the kid in the face, right?

--
Guy McConnell  guy@mspe5.b11.ingr.com  or  ...uunet!ingr!b11!mspe5!guy
		  "All I need is a pint a day"






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