Beware the Gator bait
Uh-oh. Our man Jake Trotter, in greater Orlando for the college football awards show Thursday night, reported that OU quarterback Sam Bradford was greeted with chants of “Gator bait” from Florida fans as he arrived at the gala.
Interesting. Perhaps LSU doesn’t have a corner on the worst fans in college football.
In New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl five years ago, OU fans were subjected to miserable treatment in the days leading up to the game. Anyone wearing red was taunted with “Tiger bait” comments. Sometimes said with a sly grin, sometimes with derision. LSU fans — some of them, not all — offered street greetings of a more crude nature.
It got old really quickly, Sooner fans report. It’s one thing to go to the ballpark and run into verbal strikes, but just trying to go to dinner or walk the streets and still be constantly confronted by LSU fans trying to instigate, I don’t know, something?
My experience with SEC fans largely has been positive. Alabama fans are world class. Tennessee’s seemed good, at the OSU-Tennessee game 13 years ago. Ole Miss, no problem. Mississippi State, well, the cowbells were annoying but I’ve been told they’ve been outlawed. Georgia, fine, too.
But LSU’s fans were awful. Bob Stoops likes to rave about Florida’s fans. But he’s talking about game day. If “Gator bait” is any indication, Florida’s fans have cast their lot. They stand on the wrong side of class, with LSU.
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Comments
Some fans shouted “Gator Bait” and you’re questioning their class? I’m glad you’re no statistician because that sure is an awfully small sample to be drawing an inference from. You must be running short on story concepts.
FYI, Gator fans can be a little intense but they’re alright. What you apparently don’t understand is bayou people. Man, they are a lot all their own. I mean, they’ve got their own legal system separate from the rest of the US, based on the Napoleonic code. They have the most demon possessed city in the US, per capita, at least. (Sorry to all of the bleeding heart Katrina libs out there). Have you been in N.O.? That’s a freaky vibe. Fun yes. But it’s the kind of town that you like to run from after a couple of days, getting back on your plane to anywhere else, shaking the “dust from your boots.” So, don’t go confusing Gators with Tigers. Florida has its issues but they’re not anything cajun like.
BTW, we welcome the challenge to introduce your O to a real D. And please, don’t mention TCU. The teams they played are warm up teams relative to the SEC. I’m sure they have their good points but your O has not seen a good D. Granted, maybe we haven’t seen a great O. But I guarantee you that a down year slate of SEC Os are better than any D you guys have seen. It will be a good game. My guess: UF 38, UO 30. What will be the difference? Our special teams will own you guys. McDonald’s special sauce is more special than your special teams.
Berry-
Accurate observations. Personally speaking, my four days in the Big Sleazy, getting absolutely lambasted by every hick that could identify that I had some type of red on my person was enough to make me cringe anytime I hear any phrase that ends in “bait” Normally my response to that type of action is to throw up one finger (index finger of course), smile and go on. In light of the last few holiday trips I’ve made with the Sooners, that will continue to be my response, nothing more. Hopefully on January 8th I’ll be able to flash my #1 and then use it to point to the scoreboard! Showing class is always the right way to respond to this type of opponent. Our fans expect to win, that’s why we’re not surprised when we do!!!
OU fans are exactly the same, maybe worse. But it’s OU stuff doesn’t stink according to Berry. If you had been hit with an orange or had booze and no telling what else thrown on you you would know what OU fans do with their spare time when they are home.
The Gator fans will be pleasantly humbled Jan. 8, 2009. Tim Tebow & company will have no answer for the Sooners. OU 62 Florida 24 in a woodshed ass beating! Can’t wait to see Tim Tebow try and run the ball on OU. He will feel the pain.
Wow. If you get this upset at the term “Gatorbait”, which is a chant we use for every opponent, I can’t wait to see what you write after the Gators win the game.
Talk about WHINING, and we are a month away from kickoff!!
I’m as good a Sooner as the next, Berry — but when in NEW ORLEANS to watch one’s team play LSU, caution is undoubtedly the better part of valor. I may have worn all my Sooner gear at the game, but in the days leading up to the Sugar Bowl I found the perfect way to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere free of harrassment: I wore green. And had a ball!
I love my team, but I ain’t CRAZY.
Berry, you got it right. Thanks for writing this. You are going to catch a lot of guff and crap from LSU and gator fans, but so what.
There was absolutely no reason for UF fans to pull this stunt at an awards ceremony. Show absolutely no class.
Me upset, hell no. I am now a more informed person that knows about the class of UF fans at the awards ceremony.
Yeah that a little weird to have fans chanting Gator Bait at a Heisman and Awards show. These guys are excellent athletes. And deserve respect off the field. On the field, call him whatever you want. These guys are there for recognition of their athletic achievements. Bradford did not sweat it. So Im not going to. Adds fuel to the OU fire. Hope Bradford gets a trifecta. Davey O’Brien, Heisman, National Championship Trophy. But I think he would be content with the former and the ladder.
Eric’s post is exactly the type of class Berry was talking about, way to prove his point! HA HA…
Also Eric, Florida finally gets to play a real offense and please do not mention any team from the SEC as Georgia’s offense was highly over-rated not to mention the offenses in the SEC are horrific at best. Right it must be because the defenses are so great in the SEC…. ha ha, right!
Is there a reason why the defenses in the SEC actually improved when they started to play games in conference? (CHECK THE STATS yourself)
It couldn’t be because the offenses are horrible could it? Never to a SEC homer. Gator Bait, Tiger Bait you guys are pretty unique in the SEC.
19-9 vs. the SEC!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
====================================
It appears that TCU played better offenses compared to the offensive teams in the SEC that Florida played.
TCU’s opponents offense
New Mexico 80
Stephen F. Austin 13
Stanford 69
SMU 98
OU 3
San Diego State 99
Colorado State 47
BYU 17
Wyoming 108
UNLV 73
Utah 31
Air Force 70
===================
59th
Florida
Tennessee 115th
Ole Miss 37th
Arkansas 53rd
LSU 54th
Kentucky 105th
Georgia 21st
Vanderbilt 117th
South Carolina 97th
Alabama 56th
=====================
72nd
I have lived in Florida almost 12 years. Gator fans are like Sooners fans; some are obnoxious, but not all. I ran into the same obnoxious fans eight years ago when OU played FSU. Every school has them. I have had to quit listening to the local sports talk shows. Some fans and media are just too arrogant. Mike Bianchi, a former Florida-Times Union (Jacksonville) writer who now lives in Tampa, I think, said on the radio today that Tebow will win the Heisman, win the BCS national championship game and go down as the greatest college football player in history. Now, I love Tebow, and he may do it all, but I just get tired of hearing it all. But, the Sooners have their share of the same kind of people. I read their posts on the DOK website every day.
I agree with Keith – EVERY school has their share of jerks. Texas has an unwarranted arrogance – where OU jerks have a tendency to be more direct. Which brings me to the Norman Transcript Heisman vote. Vote for McCoy – fine – but for heavens sake you should have kept those thoughts to yourself. Clay could have helped him on what it will be like to kick the MONSTER in Norman. Think about the Jack Link’s commercials with Bigfoot and the knuckleheads.
Apparently, your analysis was spot on, Berry. For further proof, simply read a few of the responses from Gator fans on this page.
Keith, one down, one to go for the best QB in college football.
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GATOR BAIT!!!!!!!!!!! Tried to warn you, great game, but quit whining about a good natured taunt. 24-14
i believe the proper way to spell it (in reference to the way it is pronounced) is “tigah bait”