Very true.
All questions vetted in advance. No surprises. No call ins. Just Rob and Gene chatting.
Sucks beyond words. Listened once haven't since.
Also gone is the post-game wrap up show. It's now a 15 minute deal available only online. I used to greatly anticipate watching Shug and later Dye sit there in the studio and talk about the game clips. Fuck, I even liked Bryant's damn show.
It made those guys human. I felt connected to them.
Then again, Shug and Dye (and even Tuberville) would take a call, would send along an autograph. Things are different now.
I was six years old when Auburn took hold in my heart. I sent a letter to Shug after a particularly heartbreaking loss to LSU in Baton Rouge. I got a letter back from him. Hand written. He sent me a couple of things, one of which was an autographed picture. I'm sitting at my desk looking at that 40-year old picture at this moment. It's been on the wall wherever I've lived ever since.
I know George Wallace has a bad rap, but he was a people guy, too. My grandmother told me that if GCW was running for office, even if he was dead, I was to vote for him. In 1982, his last campaign for governor, I had an opportunity not to just vote for the guy but be a part of that campaign. I worked as one of his youth chairmen in a small county. He took me with him when he came through on the campaign tour. I got to ride in the limo with him between stops. Shell of a man, but my god when he got out of the car and up on the stage he came alive. Couple of weeks after that I got a handwritten letter from George and an autographed photo. It too is a staple of my office. George is looking at me as I write this.
All that to say this: Not a fan of the sanitized, behind the ropes, say nothing, keep your distance Gene. Even Saban, who's famous for being a complete ass and has alienated many of the old guard in the program with his closed door policies, is more available than Gene.
Case in point: In putting on the golf tournament I had to fill out forms in triplicate, jump through a number of hoops and wait on a response from Auburn. They finally came back and said I could have one (1) autographed ball if I would send them the ball and wait six to eight weeks. I got this notification nearly a month AFTER the tournament had taken place. The UA athletic Department? Made a call, talked to somebody they asked for info about the tourney. I faxed it to them and in less than two weeks I had a couple of balls, some photos and a ton of stuff. Not just from Saban but from players too. It made me sick. The other guys had no trouble getting stuff from MSU, South Alabama, Southern Miss or LSU either. Only Auburn.
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