Tuesday, April 26, 2011 • A5
The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.com
SPORTS
TOMORROW ›› The Sooners will play the final Bedlam softball matchup of the year Wednesday in Stillwater
COLUMN
James Corley, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666
MEN’S GOLF
Heated rivalry threatens what’s good about sports It w ou l d ap p e a r ve r y few people in the state of Alabama know how to properly handle the rivalry between the University of Alabama and Auburn University. But before I go deeper into this, I’d like to share who I am and where I am coming from when I say this. I am a football fan. Some would call me a fanatic. You would be hard pressed to find someone who loves football more than I do. I don’t care about the level of play — high school, college or professional — I love it all. However, I also know how to keep things in perspective, and I know how to deal with the ways the results of the sports teams I cheer for impact my life. Apparently, there isn’t much of that in Alabama. By now, you probably have heard about the poisoned trees at Toomer’s Corner on Auburn’s campus. An Alabama fan, Harvey Updyke, admitted to poisoning the trees, which are a well-loved landmark on the campus. We could talk all day about the travesty, but that’s for another day. Last week, Updyke appeared on the Paul Finebaum Radio Show, a popular local show in Birmingham, Ala., for an interview. During the interview, it was clear just how out of hand the Iron Bowl rivalry really is. Here are a few excerpts of what Updyke said. • “All my adult life, my wives kinda said I’m a crapstirrer. I like to stir crap. I was just trying to upset the Auburn nation. Paul, I never thought it’d come to this.” • “All my life I’ve been an Alabama fan. I have children, 30 years old, named Bear Bryant and Crimson Tide.” • “I am not winning. I am losing.” Rivalries are part of the greatness of college football. It’s fun to trash-talk with
PHOTO PROVIDED
Harvey Updyke poses for a mug shot after police detained him for poisoning trees on the Auburn University campus.
fans of your team’s rival. That’s part of rivalry. Sometimes things get out of hand, but most of the time it’s just harsh language. However, this whole Auburn tree saga has just been ridiculous. Frankly, it’s embarrassing to see the whole thing play out. Updyke poisoned one of the most famous traditions in college football, and some Auburn fans responded by threatening his life and even beating him outside a gas station. Oklahoma fans should be thankful their rivalries — even OU-Texas — don’t look like this. Yeah, there was that one instance with the Texas fan in an Oklahoma bar that got his cash and prizes a little torn up, but that’s far from commonplace. Both of Oklahoma’s rivalries — with Texas and with Oklahoma State
— are civilized but intense, a perfect combination for a rivalry. Too much intensity destroys a rivalry and takes it to a level never intended. Countries wage wars over a variety of issues, but not over athletics. Why should a state divide itself to the point of near civil war? People like Updyke and whoever clubbed him in the head ruin sports. They are idiots and don’t know how to keep trivial things from having a bigger impact on their life than they should. Let this be a lesson to every sports fan out there: When sports command a bigger place in your life than they should, things are going to get out of hand. Just ask Harvey Updyke.
Sooners have strong opening rounds in Big 12 tourney The No. 28 OU men’s golf team is three strokes behind top-ranked Oklahoma State after two rounds of the Big 12 Championship on Monday in Hutchinson, Kan. The Sooners are third behind the Cowboys and No. 14 Texas. After closing the first round in fifth with Texas, OU jumped over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 18 Texas Tech and Nebraska in the second round by shooting a 292, and Texas used a round-best 291 to steal second. Senior Ryan Sirman leads the Sooners in
third place (E), one stroke behind OSU duo Morgan Hoffman and Kevin Tway, who are tied for first (-1). OU sophomore Abraham Ancer is close behind, tied for fifth at (+4). Junior Riley Pumphrey rounds out the Sooners in the top 10, finishing tied for eighth (+5). Tournament action continues through Wednesday. — Daily staff reports
6 Hours of Yard Work for Your Parents... ...or 6 Hours Closer to Your College Degree?
— Luke McConnell, journalism junior
Enroll Now for Summer Classes at Central! OKC metro area Sooners! Spend your summer at home (at least part of it!) wisely! One class in each of our two summer blocks will put you 6 hours closer to your degree. Most credits transfer to your university! Enrollment deadline for the first block is June 3! Visit www.uco.edu/summerschool or call 974-2727 to enroll today!
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