F......g trash morons! rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/-8216-Relentless-8217-Buckeye-fans-have-drive?urn=ncaaf-wp39
What an idoit, Kirk should have moved with his family to Austin. (I kid, I kid.) On a serious note, it sucks to have to have to leave the home base of his alma mater. I wonder if Longhorn fans would be the same way if, say, Major Applewhite became an ESPN commentator and had to air critical opinions of Texas.
For some reason, I don't think Texas fans would act that way. Now, A&M, Tech and OU fans, yep I sure do.
When was the last time Chris Simms was in Austin? Sure, he didn't make comments about the university, the football program, or the fan base, but he sure as hell was run out of town. I think Texas fans have proven that they are not immune to treating players and coaches (former and current) like crap.
Before our game in Columbus (in the SHOE! AT NIGHT!), I was hanging out at the hotel they have on campus, when Herbie came walking in with a couple state troopers as "body guards". A Texas fan stopped him to talk. Herbie, who was very nice and cordial, asked the Texas fan, "How have the fans been treating you?" (note: this was a VERY common question around campus that day. I should've realized something wasn't right with those fans then). I didn't hear what the fan said back, but Herbie said, "Well, don't let a few bad apples spoil it for you. There are some really great fans here." Cut to after the game, where I stopped and watched a bit of the "Gameday" post-game show. The entire time they were on the air, a tOSU fan kept yelling at Kirk, "YOU SUCK, HERBSTREIT!! YOU'RE A LOSER!! YOU WERE A LOSER WHEN YOU PLAYED HERE, AND YOU'RE A LOSER NOW!!" I really couldn't believe what I was hearing. I figured they loved him in Columbus. But this article linked by the OP makes a lot of sense to me...
I met Herbstreit at the big party the night before the MNC game in Pasdena -- great guy and a class act. I like the fact that (1) he clearly loves college football, (2) he is an unabashed fan of his alma matter and doesn't try to hide it, and (3) despite that fact, he is still willing to be objective and critical of OSU when its warranted (as well as unafraid to praise them when its likewise warranted). I also went to the tOSU game in Columbus 5 years ago. I would say that they have "great" fans in terms of the numbers of support (there were 200,000 people tailgating outside a stadium that seats half that) and the passion of their supporters. That said, I did not get the same reception that I have received at some SEC or Pac 10 schools, where the home fans usually want to impress you with their hospitality abd leave you with a good impression. The tOSU fans mostly ignored us, but there were equal numbers of those that went out of their way to be cool as well as over-the-top hostile. The overall impression was a great fan base in perhaps the best football stadium/environment in America, but with more than their fair share of hostile fans and jerks, and less of the hospitality that you would hope for at most schools.
I don't have a great deal of warm feeling for Herbie, but he is very good at his work and is not malicious in his 'objectivity' about tOSU. He may sometimes go out of his way to appear objective, but whatever. Being forced out of your home by vocal and relentless idiots is a shame. tOSU fans are generally really great, but we could do a little better at trying to overcome the tendency to skew a little too far in the direction of hostile fanatacism. I am not sure how easy it is to curb the behavior of drunken idiots, but there is a certain tolerance for it. Running Herbie out of town is nothing to be proud of, like him or no. Bruce Hooley, on the other hand, needs kicked hard.
Texas fans booed Chris Simms off the field on national TV. I can imagine a vocal minority causing some rambunction in re a former-Longhorn talking head who said unflattering things about the Horns.
If college football wasnt the only sport to decide its champion with polls, he would still be living in Ohio because what he thinks wouldnt matter anymore.
OK I'm embarrassed at my homerism. But, I'm more amazed that there are actually people out there that act like that.
While perhaps not the most astute commentator, Herbstreit is far from an "empty suit". Regardless of how anyone feels about his job performance, there is no justification for the type of behavior he has been subjected to.
I would say we already eat our own in regards to some on here's opinions and comments regarding one Kirk Bohls.