An open letter to LSU fans by Mitch Dobbs - Bamamag.com

[silentsam74]

An open letter to LSU fans, especially those who are angry at some perceived slight by Nick Saban in going to Alabama.

What concerns me is that many of you are still palpably angry even four years after Saban left you for the NFL. Saban announced his departure from LSU on Christmas day of 2004. It’s been two years since he took over at Alabama.

Since then, Saban has been nothing but diplomatic towards you and his time at LSU. At his introductory press conference at Alabama, when the moderator had called for the final question, Terry Saban spoke up and reminded Nick to extend an olive branch towards you which he promptly did. He has done so repeatedly, up to and including this past Saturday when he was asked if Alabama was “the perfect fit” for him. He responded by basically saying that college football was the perfect fit for him and that Alabama was the job that was open. He did that for you, and he even miffed some Alabama fans in the process.

I posted this at the risk of what it might turn into. Hopefully, it will stand for a few days at least because I think it is a well written, and civilized article that does make a good point.

 

[CapstoneGrad06]

I look forward to interacting once again with the LSU fans this weekend.

 

[rolltidescott]

Wouldn't you still be mad if you swapped Les=Less for Coach Saban? :eek2:

 

[red55]

Nick's been gone a long time and LSU has had a hell of a decade with him and also without him. There are always haters and loudmouths in a fanbase (Bama certainly has theirs) but most LSU fans dislike Nick no more than they do any other coach who tries to beat us every year.

The only thing keeping Nick from being just another cherished part of LSU tradition is the fact that his present job is to try to take something away from LSU. We can only give him so much love until he's retired. Then . . . he'll attend reunions with his old championship teams and be applauded in Tiger Stadium just like Paul Dietzel and Mike Archer have been. But when they were still coaching other teams against LSU . . . things were quite a bit cooler. But it's not as big a deal as some people try to make it.

Bama fans would surely have some mixed feelings if Gene Stallings had returned to the West Division to coach Arkansas or LSU against the Tide each season.

 

[bayoutider]

Bama fans would surely have some mixed feelings if Gene Stallings had returned to the West Division to coach Arkansas or LSU against the Tide each season.

We had Bill Curry leave to go to Kentucky. Curry's record at Alabama is not that different than Miles at LSU. He had no SECCG to play, he only won 1 SEC championship but he bettered his record each year, maybe if he stayed one more he would have beat Auburn. Les put things in reverse. Curry had his 7-5 season at the beginning Les just had his after winning a MNC. We didn't mind Curry going to Kentucky, a lot of people would have helped him move. Same for Nick and you guys, a lot of you would have helped him move to Miami after he decided to go to the pros. That's how we handled our mixed feelings amigo.

 

[STONECOLDSABAN]

No disrespect red but i was over at tigerforums after bama lost to florida in the sec title game and a portion of the board sounded borderline insane..."NICK SABAN LOST...I WANT TO HEAR WHAT EXECUSE HE HAS..THIS WAS BAMA'S ONLY CHANCE...HE WILL NEVER GET Another SHOT...THIS YEAR IS NOW A DISASTOUR FOR ALABAMA FANS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T BRING A TITLE TO T-TOWN" (seriously red??? a disastour???) i only bring that up because the outlandish behavior lsu fans showed how clouded there judgement on how well nick saban did "WELL EVERYONE ELSE IS DOWN THATS THE ONLY REASON NICK DID SO WELL" "HE IS GOING TO LOSE 5 GAMES NEXT YEAR...BANK ON IT" oh and my personal favorite when one of the few tiger fans were congratulating him another one said something along the lines of "BAMA SYMPATHIZERS ARE THE EQUIVALENT OF COMMUNIST SYMPATHIZERS" i hate auburn but seriously communist sympathizers????

 

[SavannahDare]

I hate this for the LSU fanbase. I've always found them to be, like so many other SEC fans, good-hearted & hospitable people who love smashmouth football. It saddens me that the obnoxious, rude ones over there get all the attention and the more intelligent ones aren't loud enough to shut the stupid ones up.

 

[LSU63]

No disrespect red but i was over at tigerforums after bama lost to florida in the sec title game and a portion of the board sounded borderline insane..."NICK SABAN LOST...I WANT TO HEAR WHAT EXECUSE HE HAS..THIS WAS BAMA'S ONLY CHANCE...HE WILL NEVER GET Another SHOT...THIS YEAR IS NOW A DISASTOUR FOR ALABAMA FANS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T BRING A TITLE TO T-TOWN" (seriously red??? a disastour???) i only bring that up because the outlandish behavior lsu fans showed how clouded there judgement on how well nick saban did "WELL EVERYONE ELSE IS DOWN THATS THE ONLY REASON NICK DID SO WELL" "HE IS GOING TO LOSE 5 GAMES NEXT YEAR...BANK ON IT" oh and my personal favorite when one of the few tiger fans were congratulating him another one said something along the lines of "BAMA SYMPATHIZERS ARE THE EQUIVALENT OF COMMUNIST SYMPATHIZERS" i hate auburn but seriously communist sympathizers????

the minority jumped on the board imediately to gloat, since the rest of us didn't rush to the board. you should have stuck around, because the respectfull posters came later and outnumbered the minority.

I hope this doesn't get locked, I have to run but I certainly hope to post my thoughts.

 

[Carol91670]

Bama fans would surely have some mixed feelings if Gene Stallings had returned to the West Division to coach Arkansas or LSU against the Tide each season.

I can't see us ever treating Coach Stallings the way CNS has been treated. Bill Curry left for KY and we said bye. I don't recall OBC being treated like CNS when he returned to the college ranks.

 

[Jack Bourbon]

I can't see us ever treating Coach Stallings the way CNS has been treated. Bill Curry left for KY and we said bye. I don't recall OBC being treated like CNS when he returned to the college ranks.

LSU is "different."

 

[THE BAMA IRISHMAN]

Wouldn't you still be mad if you swapped Les=Less for Coach Saban? :eek2:

Funny stuff Scott. :biggrin:

 

[LSU63]

The majority of LSU fans have moved on. He's the HC at Bama, so he's not going to get a lot of hugs while he's there trying to beat us and recruit the same players.

Looks like a lot of discussion and angst (not as much here, but look at some of the other Bama boards) because of Saban's comments at the hospital.

Shoe's reversed, and there would be some Bama fans acting the same way.

 

[Redwood Forrest]

LSU is "different."

You hit the nail on the head. Florida did not burn Spurrier "at the stake" just before he came back to Gainsville. Bama did not burn Curry "at the stake" just before he came back to T-Town. And I don't remember any extra security being called in at either place.

 

[bayoutider]

You hit the nail on the head. Florida did not burn Spurrier "at the stake" just before he came back to Gainsville. Bama did not burn Curry "at the stake" just before he came back to T-Town. And I don't remember any extra security being called in at either place.

Very true. It seems like a lot of LSU fans want to make this into some special unique case when in fact it isn't. It's another been there done that but we acted different. We took a lot out on Fran but it was because of the way he left. It was easy to laugh at Fran at aTm. We didn't care that Curry went to Kentucky we owed them a coach anyway for Bryant did Kentucky hate Bryant after he left Ky went to aTm then to Bama? Doh!

 

[Redwood Forrest]

Very true. It seems like a lot of LSU fans want to make this into some special unique case when in fact it isn't. It's another been there done that but we acted different. We took a lot out on Fran but it was because of the way he left. It was easy to laugh at Fran at aTm. We didn't care that Curry went to Kentucky we owed them a coach anyway for Bryant did Kentucky hate Bryant after he left Ky went to aTm then to Bama? Doh!

I had forgotten about Fran. If he had came back to coach a game at T-Town, I would have been happy to furnish the stake to burn him on. I could have made a tidy profit selling matches, too, I'll bet. :biggrin: