Wednesday June 13, 2007

Could You Do It?

Could You Do It?
I just finished watching the entire press conference where Dale Earnhardt, Jr announced he will drive for Hendrick Motor Sports in 2008.

Say it ain’t so!

Reagan started out a Democrat but saw the light. But please tell me Junior’s light is not Rick Hendrick.

Now I and millions of Dale Earnhardt, Jr fans have a decision to make. Do we follow the Junior? Can we have Jeff Gordon as a teammate? Can we stomach seeing Jimmie Johnson brag on his teammate Little E? Can I see Rick Hendrick and Junior embrace in victory lane and not throw up?

Well at least it will be nice seeing Junior back in victory lane but at what expense? Reagan did not turn communist. Roger Clemens left to go back home closer to his family and played for a couple of years with Houston not Boston.

I sit and ask myself how would I feel about seeing Derek Jeter in a Red Sox jersey? This leads to my question about Clemson and South Carolina. Could you do it? Could you pull for the enemy? If your favorite coach left Clemson to go to USC could you pull for him? It happened to me and it was different but more on that later.

If your favorite player transferred to South Carolina (rules make it difficult) could you still pull for him /her? If your son or daughter signed to play for the Gamecocks how would you react?

We have some history here to go by. Brad Scott was the highest profile example of this but as I remind all of my Gamecock friends remember Brad Scott was fired by South Carolina. He did not have a choice to stay in Columbia and coach. He had a family and still wanted to coach. I would say that ordeal worked out pretty well for Clemson fans but many Gamecocks I know still hold it against him. It’s amazing what winning six of eight against your rival will do for a legacy.

Tommy West and Miles Aldridge went from coaching at Clemson to coaching at USC to coaching at Clemson again but they either had jobs in between or were let go each time. They did not voluntarily go from one rival to the next.

Woody McCorvey coached at Clemson then later at USC but there were stops in between. The same can be said for David Bibee, Chuck Reedy, Rich Biascia and others. They all had stops in between or had not been retained and needed work.

Brent Delahoussaye played golf at USC before transferring to Clemson. As far as I know he is the last athlete that has made the transition. My friend Billy Chastain played baseball at Clemson before transferring to USC but that was back in the late eighties. There have been others.

But never did the biggest name in the sport leave like Earnhardt. How would you feel if Willy Korn backed out and signed with South Carolina? What would you think if C.J. Spiller or James Davis announced they were transferring to Columbia?

On the other end of the spectrum, would Corey Boyd or Blake Mitchell be welcomed with open arms?

Danny Ford is still popular with many Tiger fans. Would his announcement that he is going to coach at USC make a difference in how you felt about him?

In sports we often times pull for the uniform. Had Larry Bird been a Laker and Magic Johnson a Celtic we would have never known the difference if we had already been a fan of the team before their draft.

Gamecock fans were forced to like Steve Tanneyhill’s hair. They had no choice. He was one of them and they had to defend him. I know many Gamecocks that hated Lou Holtz at Notre Dame and Steve Spurrier at Florida but they had no choice but to pull a 180 when they inked on as Gamecocks.

We pull for the uniform. We pull for the logo. It is the colors that define us not the people in them. Our rivals try to tell us that the Horseshoe is beautiful but Bowman Field and Tillman Hall are not. They don’t believe that but they are forced to defend that stance.

For the last few seasons I have had to think that Rick Hendrick was evil. I had to believe that Jeff Gordon should have been tested for estrogen not steroids. I was forced to think that Jimmie Johnson’s sideburns looked too 90210 for me. And now I have a decision. If I turn into a Hendrick guy will someone accuse me of being a rat and will a former Sopranos cast member be looking for me? Can I go to the dark side?

I rely on a personal experience for help here. Four years ago I got a phone call from one of my best friends in the world. It was Rick Stockstill on the line. He said, “I am going to Greenville to take a look at the ECU offensive coordinators job.” I told him I was happy for him because I wanted him to be happy. He took the job a few days later and even though it was hard I stood in his driveway when he was leaving and sincerely wished him and Sara, Brent and Emily the best. I told him I would become the biggest Pirate fan in South Carolina. I proudly wore the ECU gear he sent me that entire season. It was tough watching my Pirates lose so much that year but because of Stock I was still a Pirate through and through.

Fast forward one year and the scene was totally different. This time Lou Holtz called Stock. This time it was South Carolina. This time it was different. Stock called me and I wished him luck but he said, “No you don’t.” He went on to say, “I know this is different.” He was right. It was different. In fact he did not even send me any USC gear because he knew me better than that.

I am lucky that my 21-year old daughter chose to go to Clemson but what will I do if my 15-year old made the wrong decision? Could I write that check? Could I go there for parents weekend?

Vote for Hillary? Sing Sweet Caroline with my Red Sox brethren? Go by the Jewelry Warehouse and get me a USC visor? Grab my baby blue button-down and weejuns on the way to the Dean Dome? Miller Lite? Jeff, Jimmie and Junior?

Dang it Little E. Why did you have to do this? I know Teresa was bad but she was just sinner and not the devil in the flesh. Not Rick Hendrick. Not Jeff and Jimmie. Please say it ain’t so.

Junior, you made a decision and now I have one to make. At this time I don’t know what I will do.

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