Wednesday November 21, 2007

Would Woody Have Let Bo Dot the "i"?

Would Woody Have Let Bo Dot the “i”?

Former Ohio State coach Woody Hayes hated Michigan. He was asked why he went for two despite having a 34-point lead against Michigan one year and Hayes responded, “Because I couldn’t go for three.”

He always referred to Michigan as “that state up north” and the Wolverines as “that team up north.”

The best example is the time he was on a recruiting trip with one of his assistants coming back home through the state of Michigan. It was getting late and Hayes was asleep in the passenger seat but the assistant had to wake him up to tell the head coach that he had to pull over and get gas. A furious Hayes yelled, “No, g—d----it! We do NOT pull in and fill up. And I'll tell you exactly why we don't. It's because I don't buy one g—d--- drop of gas in the state of Michigan! We'll coast and PUSH this g—d---car to the Ohio line before I give this state a nickel of my money!" They barely made it across the border and sputtered into the first gas station they found in Ohio.

Woody took things too far in one direction but it appears to me Clemson and USC have gone too far in the other direction.

I did not like the fight in 2004 but I was not embarrassed by it. I thought Clemson made the wrong decision when they declined the bowl bid as a result. However, I thought the little handshake before the 2005 game was more embarrassing. That was nothing but a politically correct photo opt that made each school look silly instead.

However we hit the lowest of all lows last November before the game. Jad Dean’s missed field goal was not the worst part of the day. Instead, the most embarrassing moment in the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry occurred when the University of South Carolina president, Andrew Sorenson, and the USC athletic director, Eric Hyman, dotted the “i” in the script Tigers with Tiger band in the pre-game ceremonies.

Dotting the “i” at Clemson is not held in the same regard as it is at Ohio State but it is still pretty special. At Clemson it is reserved for Hall of Fame members, former Tiger greats in the class room and on the athletic fields and distinguished alumni. Every year the Mother of the Year gets the honor of dotting the “i”. When a Tiger or former Tiger achieves greatness then they can often times look forward to the day they might be able to dot the “i”. However that is tainted now.

Dotting the “i” is for Jeff Davis, Banks McFadden, Terry Kinard, Bob Bradley, Walter Cox and R.C. Edwards not Sorenson and Hyman.

What did Sorenson and Hyman do to deserve to dot the “i”?

Who’s next Sterling Sharpe and James Seawright? George Rogers never scored a touchdown against Clemson so maybe he would feel better if we let him dot the “i”.

Who is the pansy that decided to let the arch-rival invade such a tradition last November? Again, what did they do to deserve the honor? Please someone tell me what they did to deserve that?

Since the precedent has been set I ask where will this stop? Please don’t let the guys get into a fight this year or the geniuses at Clemson may let Spurrier and the Gamecocks rub Howard’s Rock and run down the hill.

Bo Schembechler never dotted the “i” at Ohio State because Ohio State had enough sense to guard it traditions. But Bo would have never wanted to. In my opinion I am very disappointed that Clemson would not guard its traditions but I am also puzzled as to why Sorenson and Hyman would agree to cross the line anyway. If I was a Gamecock fan I would have been almost as mad that my guys were participating in the enemy’s tradition.

It has even carried over to this year. I understand the Gamecocks are on a four-game losing streak and Clemson is coming off of an emotional loss but the praise for the rival coming from Tommy Bowden and Steve Spurrier is almost sickening.

Bowden says about Spurrier, “I've always had respect for him. As I've mentioned several times, when he became the coach at Duke and didn't keep the offensive staff, which I was on, a lot of guys would have taken that personally and gotten mad. But, I became the wide receiver coach at Alabama six months later, and the first place I went to visit was Duke because I wanted to learn. I think he is one of the best offensive minds. I've always studied him when he was at Florida and my father played against him. So, I know for myself there has always been a tremendous amount of respect for him."

Yesterday Spurrier said, “Our coaches get along very well with their coaches.” He added, “"They have good players and they're well-coached. Tommy Bowden and his staff do a super job recruiting and do a super job coaching their guys. They haven't been very lucky, to tell you the truth, especially last week (v. BC). They're a very good team like always. They were a very good team last year. They're a very talented team."

He did not even sound like the Old Ball Coach when he added, "Obviously, the way we've performed lately, we're not bragging around here too much. We've sort of learned a lot of humility. I know I have. I think our players have.”

I am all for sportsmanship. I learn more about the importance of humility each year I grow wiser. But come on. This is getting sappy. When political correctness is more important than dignity then we have crossed the line and I think down the road the suits will regret this one.

I keep seeing this scene in my head where Sorenson, Hyman, Spurrier and Blake Mitchell are in between Jim Barker, Terry Don Phillips, Tommy Bowden and James Davis sitting around a camp fire. Sorenson has his trumpet, Barker a guitar and Bowden and Spurrier have tambourines. Behind them are all of the Gamecocks and Tigers swaying back and forth singing John Lennon’s song “All We Are Saying is Give Peace a Chance.”

At least that is not as embarrassing as letting the enemy dot the “i”.

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