More About Blanketly Rooting For Your Conference

My esteemed co-editor addressed this on Friday, but since more content is always better than less content on a Web site when you're competing for readers with sites linked to Google and SEO, and because...well, I feel like it... here's  little more on our thoughts around being a stooge err, I'm sorry, fan who roots for the Big Ten simply because Purdue is in it.

First off, despite my little dig above, I am in no position to tell you who you can and cannot cheer for in any given sporting contest. If you want to root on Indiana while you attend Purdue, I can't -- and won't -- stop you. I can, however, think it's the wrong approach. It's like America that way: you're not obligated to follow my beliefs on hot button political issues, but you are required to at least respect my right to have such opinions.

We've taken some flak this past week (and other times) for refusing to blanketly root for the Big Ten in games not involving Purdue. We then attempt to explain ourselves (often in 140 character bites on Twitter) and yet the thicker-craniumed among you don't seem to understand. So we'll try again here.

Once again, you're entitled to cheer for whatever team, player or hairdo you like. But let me ask you this...Do we need to be actively rooting for a team in every single game? Can you just watch a basketball game to watch it? To see what happens? To be there for the moment of the tournament if it happens? Why is there this insistence among people that others must choose a side. This isn't the Presidential election. It's not Terminators versus the resistance. It's not ANWR. It's not gun control. It's just a basketball game.

If you're a fan of basketball in general and not really a fan of a team or program and rooting for a team (or against a team) makes it more interesting for you, then fine. But if you need this to keep your attention from wavering to shiny objects in the room, maybe you should just accept your fate as a sports gambler now. You'll love the casino sports books, where everyone is watching games like this.

My 64 year old mother was surprised to hear I was happy Indiana was losing to Kentucky over the weekend. "You're not rooting for the Big Ten?" she asked, aghast. So yeah, that's who is in the same boat as you folks who think you're somehow obligated to root for your conference out of some misplaced loyalty that even the schools themselves don't have.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to see Kentucky win, either. But if Kentucky wins, as B-dowd pointed out, it's only a matter of time until they have to roll up the banner and put it in a storage closet. And more to the point -- and less snarkily -- what does Kentucky winning do to Purdue? I mean, if you want to relate the outcome of these games to your own favorite program, what does a Wildcats national championship do to you? Everyone knows they're the most talented team. Everybody knows they're the favorite. If they win, it's almost expected. Almost a, "well, we knew this was coming." If IU won it all or made the Final Four? You'd have to hear about it forevah!

"How's that feel??"

Okay, you might say, but what about BS' distaste for supporting brethren from MSU or OSU? Let me ask you this -- do you think the braindead media who incessantly refer to the Big Ten as slow, plodding, mediocre, etc., will ever stop doing that? Does it matter that the Big Ten is the best conference by any objective measure? Anyone who knows college basketball knows that and yet there's still a dumbass notion that the SEC is "quicker" or the Big East is "more competitive."  It's all nonsense, made up by lazy-ass sportswriters who are too terrible at their jobs to do even the tiniest bit of research. So does MSU/OSU winning a title or going to a FF change that? Of course it doesn't. It doesn't make Purdue look any better, if that's what you think. And beyond that.... I don't know what you think it does that's positive. Tom Izzo getting another banner and slipping further into the slippery muck that he's now comfortable in? Thad Matta -- a coach nobody has ever accused of being a good X's and O's guy -- getting an even stronger foothold in Big Ten country? Do you guys somehow think that OSU going to the Final Four and/or winning a national title is somehow good for your favorite program? Because it isn't.

The analogy I've used a number of times when dealing with SEC braindeads is that of pro sports. I'm a Yankee fan (yes, yes, I know -- just go with it for a moment), but do you think I cheer for the Red Sox to win if the Yankees are out (I know, this is fiction, but go with me here -- hey-yo!)? Why would anyone want to cheer on one of their rivals? One of the teams they see their boys do battle with usually multiple times a year? Because we don't want, what.... the Big 12 to win a championship? Who cares? I'd rather see the teams/programs that I hate with regularity suffer. Even the cynical and curmudgeonly among us -- what do we get out of seeing North Carolina or Kansas lose? We don't deal with those fan bases on a regular basis. OSU, MSU, IU, UM...those we do.

The best way I think I can explain our approach -- and I think B-dowd and I are similar in this way -- is each game is taken individually and evaluated. Could there be a scenario where we find ourselves actively rooting for IU? I suppose... like if the Soviet Union reformed and IU was playing for the honor of America and to stop communist aggression. That sort of thing.

Truth is, we've both found ourselves rooting for IU in football. When Coach Gum Throwy was there, you bet your ass we wanted to see them beat programs like Michigan. Yet if they were one win from a bowl season and were playing Michigan, it might be a different story.

Back to basketball, though. As the matchups are determined and often as the games draw closer, that's when we find ourselves gravitating to a side. And when the battles are between two truly unlikable characters or programs, well, I go back to what I said earlier: Why do we have to root for either? Can't we just see how the game goes? Maybe Rick Pitino will collide with Anthony Davis coming out of the tunnel, break his (Pitino's) nose and get blood all over this $3,000 suit and then the scoreboard will fall on Calipari. Who knows.

Our allegiance is to our alma mater. After that, it's all just noise.

Cautionary Tales from Twitter and Message Boards

I think everyone has said something they regret.  If you're like me, your friends and family don't let the transgressions die very quickly.  BUT, even when you spout off, unless your mistake was video taped, the accounts of your stupidity can be ruled as conjecture or exaggeration.

That is not the case when you type something stupid...and there's something much worse and tougher to explain away about the permanency of the written word.  Following Purdue's win over Michigan, some IU fans began showing themselves for what they are.

I have some good friends who are IU fans.  And it seems that each time I start thinking that the IU fanbase isn't so bad, as I look through the prism of my friends, I'm reminded that those people are the exception, not the rule.

J and I like a good discussion or debate.  But, we try to keep things from getting personal as much as possible during these exchanges.  That doesn't seem to be the case for the IU fans we interact with via Twitter.

Twitter tough guy

We have been called "A*swipes, f*gs and f*cks"...and maybe hardest to swallow, members of the traditional media...and that was in a mere hour on Saturday night.  The thing that some of these people might not get is a ton of people see what's being said, and words do matter.  The other thing that they might not get is that when they spew this excrement in the name of IU, they hurt their school's or the fanbase's reputation.  Many Purdue fans might argue that the Hoosier fanbase has already done enough damage to itself...but on behalf of my friends Mark, Nick, Matt and others, I'll ask you guys to stop; but not for me, but for yourselves.

Internet stupidity isn't limited to just IU fans though.

On the Knucklehead board, on Twitter and even on this site, Purdue fans have said their share of regrettable things...and most can be found with just a few minutes of research. Here are some of them that revolve around The Forces of Good, from just the last few months:

"Matt Painter should be fired." "Terone Johnson stinks." "Ryne Smith wouldn't start in the MAC." "Robbie Hummel will never be able to play at a high level again." "Anthony Johnson can't shoot." "DJ Byrd is a wasted scholarship." "Travis Carroll is a D-II player."

Some guys don't pan out or ever reach their full potential...there's no doubt about that.  But judging a well-respected coach by just a ten-game stretch is pretty ignorant.  Furthermore, saying a player isn't worth his scholarship after less than half of a career is silliness.  Also, if a guy is playing 25+minutes a game, wouldn't it be fair to reason that he's probably not the bum that you think he is?  No matter, I guess.

Opinions are good...and differing, diverse, well-thought opinions make discussions and life at large interesting.  But conversely, flippant and impassioned opinions that are typed when you're angry, drunk, drunk and angry or permanently stupid, might come back to haunt you...and they don't die quickly.

So whether you think we're overly-biased, gold glasses-wearing Purdue shills, or overly-negative pseudo Boiler Backers who don't understand what being a Purdue fan is about (we've been accused of both in the last two weeks), please heed our request to be as tactful as possible- not for us, but for your own reputation. Even in this thoughtless, no-accountability electronic counter culture, you might have to deal with the fallout of your foolish keystrokes in three dimensions, for weeks or years to come. It's up to you.

As you were, a*swipes.

Adding Heat to Our White Hot Boiling Hating Hate of The Hawkeyes

I don't know about you, but I'm very afraid. Our Most Hated Rival (or OMHR) is coming into town this weekend and they're bringing their loyal fans.

Well, sort of. I mean, they'll be there. They think. Unless the bus breaks down. Or they can't find a place to park. Oh, and if the game goes into overtime, they might have to jet early.

Seriously, does nobody who went to Iowa own a car? Is it because farm equipment is inconvenient to drive on interstate highways? What if this game, which was only recently slated for 12 noon, had been put into the 3:30 time slot? What would they have done about returning the bus to the depot, dammit??

Based on the post I linked above, which is hilarious in the unintentional way, I see the following as the BHGP schedule for Saturday (best case scenarios on the timing):

11:00 AM -- Bus arrives in West Lafayette.
11:15 AM -- Bus is parked.
11:45 AM -- Tailgate area located.
12:00 PM -- Grills lit, beers opened.
12:08 PM -- First Iowa fan notes that the tailgating areas are emptying fast.
12:10 PM -- Iowa fans begin to realize the time. Shiny object distracts them.
12:25 PM -- Someone broaches the idea of leaving for the game.
12:38 PM -- Someone agrees and the group begins shambling towards Ross-Ade.
12:52 PM -- The group realizes they've walked a mile in the wrong direction.
1:15 PM -- BHGP fan contingent reaches their seats.
3:00 PM -- Game ends, BHGP fan contingent screams a few obscenities (win or lose) and sprints to bus.
3:30 PM -- Bus departs for Chicago.
4:00 PM -- BHGP fan contingent declares trip to Purdue a "wild success" and "the most exciting thing ever."

Bonus points to Travis of H&R for completely hoodwinking unsuspecting Hawkeye fans by leading them to believe they had a primo tailgate spot to overrun only to yank the rug out from under them, Wile E Coyote style. Well done, sir. This is what they get for underestimating you. (I know an apology will be forthcoming to Iowa fans for leading them astray, but for now I shall enjoy.)

Also, hey, look everyone, the coach bus and its crew (I envision the flight attendants from Tony Stark's private jet, don't you?) "cannot stay indefinitely afterward." I mean, they'd like to burn down West Lafayette, beat up all the fraternity boys, make out with all the women and eat all the fried cheese in sight.... but they can't. You understand. Charter companies and all.

Yeeah, brah! Let's tailgate! For ten minutes!

Speaking of charter buses, why the hell do you need a bus to transport your sorry ass from Chicago to West Lafayette? It's 120 miles. On one highway. Are Iowans this easily lost? Get on I-65 South from Chicago. That's all. Of course, this also leads me to ask what Iowans do in Chicago itself -- stand on the sidewalk looking up at the tall buildings? 

Regardless, I like that in the end it sounds like the mighty BHGP tailgating contingent is instead going to be a scattershot effort, strewn across the Purdue campus at various places and times.

Should be intimidating.

Who Do You Not Want To Be Caught Sitting Next To?

Everybody has dealt with it. You go to a game, maybe even in the home arena/stadium of your favorite team. And there, stuck next to you, is an OF -- an Obnoxious Fan. Maybe he is drunk. Maybe she is classless. Regardless, you want to be anywhere but there for the next three hours. And it makes you even more angry because you should be having a good time.

Which brings us to this week's poll question: Which Big Ten team has the most generally obnoxious fans? That is, whose fans do you hate the most? Who would you least like to be near for three hours on game day?

I've wanted to ask about this for a while, but it is always hard to know the right time. During football or basketball season, opinions could be swayed by a recent bad experience or by who is having a dominating season. So maybe now is a good time, as we're looking for content and we're all getting excited that football is under three weeks away.

So who is it? Which Big Ten team's fans are, quite frankly, the worst? (And not in the "They're the worst because they can't fill their tiny stadium" kind of way.)

Also, remember, Notre Dame isn't in the Big Ten. And we already know they're horrible.

Fans Are Good...For Me to Pee On!

You may or may not have seen/heard about this, depending upon how thoroughly you cruise random blogs and sports sites. (I realize most of the BS readership is on sites of, um, different material.)

Anyway, Busted Coverage nicely breaks down one of the more amusing near-issues that police intervened on at the IU-Ball State game last weekend:

Police arrested Lucas Widdicombe after someone sitting near him said he had a cup, and “he had urinated in the cup and was going to throw it at Ball State fans.”

Uh-oh, pee-pee grenades!

And if you're caught, yellow-handed, in this kind of situation, what's your story gonna be? Do you think you could do better than this?

Widdicombe told police he had not urinated in the cup and had no intentions of pouring it on people. Widdicombe said someone had given him a cup of urine while he was in the restroom, and he decided to take it back to his seat to show his friends.

Well, sure, that makes complete sense. Hey, maybe it was celebrity urine... did anyone notice if Terry Hutchens was in the can at approximately the same time? Handing out....cups of urine?

And I remember when people would throw cups of soda. Ah, how times have changed.