Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Dear Fans, Please Be Nice to the Other Team...

This email appeared in Commie in-boxes everywhere:

vandyathletics: Announcements for Vanderbilt Varsity Sports

From: vandyathletics@list.vanderbilt.edu

What a fantastic start to the season with Men's Basketball at 7-0 going into tonight's game against Wake Forest! The coaches and student-athletes greatly appreciate the student support from the Memorial Maniacs this season. In light of recent complaints to the SEC about the type of language coming from the Vanderbilt student section, it is asked that you act in a manner that reflects the class and dignity that Vanderbilt represents. Your enthusiasm is greatly appreciated, but profanity to the extent that has occurred is not permissible.

Please remember to respect all coaches, players, and referees. With this said, we're not saying you can't yell at the ref about a bad call, just don't use language that personally attacks him/her. Once again, your enthusiasm this year is very much appreciated!

See you tonight at 7:00 pm for the game against Wake Forest! (and don't forget the Women's game tomorrow, Thursday, at 7pm vs. Western Kentucky)


GO 'DORES!!


What a bunch of crap. If there is a reason why I hate overly organized fandom, it's emails like this. Nothing personal to the president of the Memorial Maniacs (I'm sure they were just doing what they were asked to do). But can we all agree that short of hurling racial, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory epithets (note: "blind-MFers" are not a protected class) you should be allowed to scream pretty much anything you want at opposing players, coaches, or referees? Particularly from the student section. That's not to say you should go to the "family-fun" section and start doing your best impression of Seamus and Bobby...but it is after all "Division I" Basketball (Thank you, Dan Hawkins).

Big game tonight against Wake. Everyone in VSL nation should plan to watch on FSN, or follow the action at VUCommodores.com. For those of you lucky enough to be in Nashville and planning on going to the game, don't forget to read this before heading to Memorial.

26 comments:

Boyer in the District said...

It's DIVISION I BASKETBALL!
It's the SEC!

Maybe the Memorial Maniacs should go play intermurals brotha!

Douglas James said...

I'd like to think the Vanderbilt student section single handedly destroyed Matt Walsh's playing career with our devesating chants.......haha

Bobby O'Shea said...

Doesn't that guy have crabs?

Anonymous said...

A bunch of my buddies drove in last year for a game. It was against Arkansas, but I can personally vouch that a "Walsh you suck" chant went on for a good five minutes during their shoot-around. Sure, I started it, but the student section all chimed in (even if most of them didn't get the joke).

Douglas James said...

I was sitting with my dad during that game and he just looks at me and goes "Are they saying that guy has crabs?", pretty sure my dad has never been prouder of my college choice than on that day.

Aaron said...

Noah is ugly is a personal favorite

Unknown said...

Next thing you know we'll get a new chancellor who will come in, a la CBJ, and have the whole campus be curse-free. What a load of sh**.

Anonymous said...

I hate to be a contrarian, but Malcolm X had a point: "A man curses because he lacks the intelligence to express himself properly."

But none of that shit applies in the student section.

Meanwhile, Ogilvy was a stud down the stretch tonight: 8-0 has a nice ring to it. Shan with a neat 26 points? Look out SEC, that punk Pearl included.

J.B., M.D. said...

Look at our upcoming schedule. Barring the occasional trap game, we should be 13-0 in a few weeks (and probably will still be ranked in the 20s).

Anonymous said...

i agree that the student section should be able to scream whatever they want. just to clear things up though, we did receive an official complaint from the SEC commish about the language coming from the student section directed towards the refs... you would think they would be able to handle it!

Bobby O'Shea said...

Yet another example of the anti-Vanderbilt bias from the SEC home-office

Anonymous said...

even after coming to Vandy bball games since i was born, the SEC is moving down my list. fining us for rushing the court? then threatening to move the student section to the balcony if we do it again?? now monitoring what we yell?!

the e-mail posted above was not sent out by the Maniacs, rather received by them. it was drafted by "athletics" (but who is this really? we don't even have an athletic department!).

i personally tried to monitor my language... i succeeded for 12 minutes and 18 seconds of game time. at that point i gave in. if the ref's are gonna call the first half like they did tonight... F*** THEM!

Anonymous said...

A buddy of mine was watching tonight's game and commented, "They looked good, but Ogilvy lacked endurance." I didn't see that at all. To me, the only reason this game was close was that Red Gordon played terribly. He's not a terrible player, by any means, but tonight was an off night. Let's admit it, he nearly cost us the game. Ogilvy was a beast, Shan played his typical All-American game, Metcalfe (when not shooting ill advised three's) was good off the bench, and Beale seems to really understand how to control the offense. Was there an endurance concern? Because I didn't get that at all.

Aaron said...

Foster, foster, foster he took over in the second half. Down the stretch it was the Croc hitting the FTs to seal the deal. This team is good!

Douglas James said...

DJ Moore was named 1st team ALL-SEC by the AP (along with Earl and Williams) Goff is still 2nd team.

Anonymous said...

You're joking right? While you can yell whatever you want, the real question is why would you want to scream a bunch of MF bombs at the refs, David Walsh, etc.

I've always hated the "you suck" "bullsh*t", etc chants. It just makes Vandy students look unintelligent and crass. What are we UT fans??? I'd rather be known as snobby elitists anyday.

Stanimal said...

Andrew, I don't know if it's an endurance issue or Stallings just wanting to keep Croc fresh for the later minutes, but I did think OG disappeared in the first part of the second half. I especially got nervous when Wake really pulled it close and our line-up on the floor was Keenan Bell, Andre Walker, Darshawn McClellan, Metcalfe, and George Drake. I think we're a deep team but we're not deep enough to have the entire bench out there at the same point, especially when three of those guys are freshmen and especially when Wake's starters are in. That part of the game was nail-biting all the way until we got Foster and Ogilvy back in.

Red did have a rough game and I thought Neltner did as well. Way too many turnovers getting the ball into the post. But even with an off night from those two we still pulled out a win against a tough, tough defensive team.

Das Fuhrer said...

If I remember correctly Matt Walsh's mother wrote a complaint to the school after the greatest spontaneous chant in the history of VU sports broke out. I still think the incorporation of "We'll Pay More" should replace the "you suck" and "bulls&*%" chants.

Bobby O'Shea said...

Tom,

What did you have in mind?

Perhaps something like: ""That's alright, that's OK, you're gonna work for us someday?"

Maybe its because I have a dirty mouth, but I really don't equate using crass language and being unintellent. Elitism at sporting events is only fun in the parking lot before and after the game.

When it comes to sporting events, it is my goal for Vanderbilt fans to be just as rowdy as everyone else. Unless we can get creative and come up with taunts in iambic pentameter, I'm fine accusing Gators of having crabs.

Douglas James said...

Getting back to basketball I think the Stallings is trying to get his young guys as much real game experience as possible before SEC play starts because the team has so many freshman/soph with little to no experience. We are going to have to depend on these guys alittle down the road so Stallings has to see what he has got. If we can get these guys prepared and still win games even better. Also call me crazy but i actually wouldn't mind Vandy losing a game or two before SEC season starts if for nothing else besides a reality check

Aaron said...

Wouldn't mind losing? There is a great attitude. Also, why doesnt anyone want to coach at Arkansas?

Anonymous said...

douglas, you are an idiot. we are going undefeated this year.

it looks like espn full court picked up a couple of extra vandy games.

Douglas James said...

Chad your roommate is an idiot and had to go back to work last night because his equally dumb roommate (you) locked him out....Also I'm glad UK's 2nd best frosh is already transfering (thats what you get for rooting for them)

Anonymous said...

Matt Walsh told me that Chris Lofton has anal warts.

Anonymous said...

I swear like a sailor as well, but not in an organized chant. That's my point. It's different when the entire student section starts a bullsh*t chant. It seems like they're settling. We can do better than UT, Florida, UK, etc.

I think a lot of research on the other teams would lead to the best chants. Facebook, press clippings, arrest records, would all be good places to start. This mainly applies to undergrads with free time.

BTW, I do agree that sending an email from the administration is poor choice on how to clean up the cheering. It should come as a challenge from Stallings or D Williams in person.

Anonymous said...

If the refs don't want to be called blind mother fuckers, then they should open up their eyes and read the rule book and call the game correctly.

Jesus-mother-fucking-christ-on-a-rubber-raft, do they not fucking understand this? Don't fuck up the game and fans won't call them blind-ass mother-fuckers. It's just that fucking simple.

and as always:
american idol fucking sucks