The Original Google
by Jay Coulter
on Jan 31, 2008 9:46 PM CST
in News
By Jay Coulter
jccoulter@gmail.com
Happy Friday to everyone. It’s nice to be among the living. I’ve just finished up four days of hell in the form a wicked virus. This was bad in every way.
It was one of those can’t get out of bed or even raise your head kind of illnesses. Talk about losing six pounds the hard way. But at least the extra holiday weight is a thing of the past.
With that said, we’ll move on.
I got an interesting piece of email yesterday on a new service Auburn has started. The University has a new YouTube site where they have placed more than 70 videos on various things going on around school.
Currently, the most watched video is of Matt Lauer and the Today Show making a call to Foy Union in November (see above). They also have the usual posts like the Eagle flying and Aubie competing at various competitions. Overall, it’s pretty good stuff. Check it out and subscribe.
Phillip Marshall has an interesting piece on his blog today about the treatment Auburn offensive lineman Chaz Ramsey continues to receive more than three months after the chop block at LSU.
It seems that things have gone from bad to worse. The Ramsey family has even threatened legal action against ESPN for continuing to defame their son. Unfortunately, there’s probably little they can do.
Ramsey says the block was unintentional. I have to believe him. Here’s an 18 year-old kid playing in probably the biggest game of his life on a Saturday night in Baton Rouge. You can bet his move was sheer instinct. The coaches have supported him from the start.
It was terrible for all parties involved. Glenn Dorsey is by all measures a stand up guy both on the field and off. It was unfortunate that he was hurt. Both schools seem to have backed away. Unfortunately the media hasn’t.
Ramsey is a great athlete with a bright future. This issue was probably close to dead before this post.
Still, it was a story worth writing and a good lesson for all of us. There are crazy people in this world who are just unstable enough to go after good people and their families.
My guess is, this story has probably run its news cycle. It's time for everyone involved to move on.
0 recs |
14
comments
Read Related
Email
PrintComments
Great article.
I love dad's response in the article:
Key Ramsey says the response of Auburn's coaches has reminded him why he and his family were pleased when Chaz chose Auburn over dozens of other offers last year.
I am sick of ESPN's commentator's. Kirk, Lee and Lou should understand more than anyone. Fowler and those who've never known what price these kids pay on a daily basis since they were probably 10 years old, need to shut up and don't comment on things that they don't know about.
These guys are just looking for their 15 minutes of fame and they will step on anyone or use any angle to get it. It's a shame that it has 'creeped' down to the college levels.
by tigerstripe on Feb 1, 2008 7:21 AM CST 0 recs
Key Ramsey's comment
,,,,about the coaches said it all. The coaches take care of those kids just like they were their own.
I wonder how any of those guys at ESPN would feel if it were their son that this was happening too. I would bet that they would use their position at ESPN to STOP any negative comments if it were their son.
WAR EAGLE
by James on
Feb 1, 2008 7:44 AM CST
up
0 recs
Key Ramsey's statement and...
the Auburn coaches' sticking up for Chaz from the start are more examples of what defines and gives real meaning to the words, "The Auburn Family". Basically speaking,..."they (Auburn) take care of their own". Granted Chaz is very valuable to Auburn's football team, but nonetheless I truly believe Auburn's coaches would no doubt do the same thing had it been even a 3rd team lineman that was accused of a chop block.
Sounds to me like the media is just trying to drum up something and/or keep an old event alive,...for some reason. Come to think of it now, I can see coach Miles using it as a piece of motivation for playing Auburn next year,...whatever. Personally speaking,...they're going to need a whole lot more motivation than that for Auburn when they meet us next year at Jordan-Hare,...on our turf.
War Eagle!
by AUTiger8199 on
Feb 1, 2008 6:39 PM CST
up
0 recs
Chaz Ramsey wasn't in the wrong
The sad thing is that Chaz Ramsey, while he did peform the block, was not in the wrong. He wasn't the one who missed the block it was another FRESHMAN Lee Ziemba who missed his assingment stayed on Dorsey and didn't roll off. I dont blame the Ramsey's for threatening legal action. They need to go after CBS too. Because in the AU/UGA game Vern Lundquist and their other clown (sorry dont remember his name, I usually mute the games because I cant stand to listen to has-beens and never-weres try relive their glory) made a huge deal about it. If it wasn't Dorsey on the other end of that block nothing would have been made of it. Didn't we have another ACCIDENTAL chop block from a missed assignment in the Chik-fil-a bowl? Yes we did!!! I dont hear anything about that!!! It happens every saturday by someone in some game. And I would be willing to bet that 99.99% of them are not intentional rather accidental from a missed assingment. Regardless of which team, these are young adults who understand the severe possible season even career ending consequences and wouldn't want it done to them. All players, coaches, teams and schools have moved on, ESPN and CBS need to too.
With that said, I am going to shut up, because I realize by posting this comment, I am contributing to keeping this rediculous issue alive...but I had to give my two cents!!!
by WDE on Feb 1, 2008 9:12 AM CST 0 recs
Are you kidding me???
Chaz Ramsey is a punk. It was a dirty hit and he and his family deserve everything they got. The other chop block later in the season was just as bad and was also a blatant attack on the oppositions top D-lineman the reason you didn't hear as much about it was because he wasn't as big a name on the national stage as Glenn Dorsey, and he wasn't hurt near as bad as Dorsey. Both players should have been ejected from the game and suspended for a game or two afterwards.
by tiger5 on Feb 1, 2008 12:54 PM CST 0 recs
Personal attacks never appropriate...
First off let me say that I cannot vouch for ESPN's reaction to the chop block. While it was appropriate to point out that it was a dirty play (intentional or not) it is pretty irresponsible to call the amateur athelete out by name. They should have instead questioned the coaching tactics, and you would think that if they are "experts" they would have pointed out that it was the other O-Lineman who missed his block which caused this.
But as an LSU fan, I think the outcrie that you are seeing from the LSU fan base is really a culmination of frustration that has built up over several years of questionable officiating and unsportsman like conduct in high profile LSU-Auburn football games.
For example:
1999 - The AU players and coaches smoking cigars on LSU's field after a win. (I know it was Tubby's birthday, that does not make it better)
2001 - AU players stomp on the eye of the tiger in the middle of LSU's field before the game and it draws an unsportsman like penalty. Then at half time the AU kicker comes onto the field and pushes several LSU band members.
2004 - The season many AU fans love to point to as total domination was made possible by a rarely called (yet correctly called) penalty on a missed extra point in the closing seconds of the game to allow AU to go undefeated by getting to kick the extra point again. (Yes I know AU could have won in OT)
2006 - Ah, the famous pass interference no call. (Yes I know that one play doesn't change the entire game)
and now lets add "The Dorsey Chop Block" to the list for 2007.
My point is, after living in Alabama for 3 years now, I've realized that many Auburn fans are quick to dismiss incidents like these which their school commits, because they are too busy complaining about much pettier things that a Bama fan has done to them, and keeping up their holier than thou attitude.
My opinion is that the backlash from LSU fans such as myself is more of a culmination of the above distaste towards Auburn football.
Having said that, at no point should any fan stoop to the level of taking these things personal, and making death threats or even calling a player from the other team. That is obviously taking things too far.
by LSU Jonno on Feb 1, 2008 5:28 PM CST 0 recs
Com'on
First of all we dont talk about dominating in '04. And those who do are those select ignorant group of fans that every team has!!! We are proud that we went undefeated in the SEC!!! Who was the last team to do that? '98 UT with T-Martin and they won the National Championship!!
'99 (like you said it was Tubby's b-day but none the less) and especially '01, unquestionably unsportsmanlike. And '01 was called so how can then be a questionable call? As far as the kicker incident...again wrong!!! But aside from his kick that year against UF, what did Duvall do in college beside cocaine and what has done since??? Every family has a black sheep!!!
'04 - How can it be questionable when it was correctly called!!! This whole discussion is about a wrong play that was missed. That was obviously a wrong play (albeit not as bad as a chop block) if it was correctly called. So what is your point behind this being a questionable call? Don't be mad at AU be mad at your player for commiting the penalty.
'06 - Think what you want. I will admit it was close and could have gone either way but when SEC HQ doesn't come out and denounce it then either it was correctly called or it was too close to call and thus give the official some slack. How many times have you had to make a split second call of that importance in an enviroment such as Jordan-Hare or Tiger (your guys')Stadium?
'07 - Should have been called!!! Everyone at AU except for that select group of ignorant fans I mentioned before agrees!!!
My point...despite what you guys think. The only questionable call you can complain about is this years!!! Give it up it is in the past!!!
by WDE on
Feb 2, 2008 5:43 PM CST
up
0 recs
Never said...
I let it go. Nor will I any time soon. Like I said, this is one more shady play for Auburn football, intentional or not...
In response to your comments, I never said all of those were questionable calls. I said there were "some questionable calls" "and some unsportsman like play from AU".
If you are going to give the benefit of the doubt to the SEC HQ in '06 for protecting their officials with the no call on the pass interference, (which is fine) then I'm going to have to give the benefit of the doubt to the paid professionals who are paid to be unbiased and called the Dorsey shot "vicious". End of story.
I will never give credit to any AU fan who tells me to "let these things go" "it's in the past" blah blah blah, until I have to stop hearing from AU fans that Alabama was on the front page of the sports section 23 times last year and Auburn was only on the front page 22 times.
As I said before, AU fans have this "holier than thou" attitude that their team never does anything wrong, that the national media is out to get Auburn, and that the state media favors Bama. Yall really need to get over yourselves.
by LSU Jonno on
Feb 3, 2008 8:59 AM CST
up
0 recs
James
Ouch that stings! I can't believe you would call one of your own by such an awful name. I do agree with LSU Jonno that personal attacks may be inappropriate, but any media outlet that wants to point out the dirty hit is more than welcome to do so. Also just because the other guy missed his block I have been in the same situation at the same level and its easy to pull up. Whether it was Chaz's idea or a coaches(the latter of which I strongly doubt) it was intentional and it was wrong. And there should be punishment for those kinds of hits.
by tiger5 on Feb 1, 2008 5:56 PM CST 0 recs
True...
Any media outlet can report on whatever they wish. And since ESPN announcers are professionals who are paid to be unbiased, and those professionals choose to call the event "vicious" I'm going to have to side with them on this since obviously LSU and AU fans will be biased in this situation. I don't even care if it was intentional anymore, that still doesn't make it right. Sure everyone makes mistakes, but you should learn from those mistakes and make pretty damn sure that it never happens again. This is why I think the chop block in the Clemson game is so relevent. That made the Dorsey shot look even more shady. As soon as that play happened in the Clemson game, I got 10 text messages from my buddies saying things like "typical AU football" "it looks like a trend" "what kind of line play do they teach at AU" and things of that nature. If I was an AU fan, instead of being upset that everyone hates my team for playing dirty, I'd be upset with my coaches for not fixing the problem.
by LSU Jonno on
Feb 2, 2008 11:34 AM CST
up
0 recs
LSU Jonno
First of all I dont see any back lash from LSU fans. You guys, from what I have seen have let it go too. It is the media who wont. And that is what is wrong. No there is no excuse for the block. It was wrong and should have been flagged. All AU Fans (except for some and you know who I am talking about...you guys and every other team has them too), Staff, Players, et al have more than admitted that. But the media needs to let it go. It wasn't intentional. It was a cut block gone bad. You guys cut block too. As far as the Clemson game, PLEASE!!! A trend can begin to be considered when all factors are the same. But here not all factors were the same. We had just put in a brand new offense (right or wrong to do can be argued but it worked and besides that argument is irrelevent to this) that is audible based. Can you hear the fan yelling Geaux Tigers 50 rows up in any stadium let alone a dome? Didn't thing so. So to miss an assignment whether due to hearing the wrong play or forgetting the play since it is brand new is more than possible and cannot set a trend. Rather another cut block gone bad!!! Let me ask you this....if our coaches are so shady as far playing tactics when else have we chop blocked intentional or unintentional?
by WDE on
Feb 2, 2008 5:12 PM CST
up
0 recs
Just forgive him!!
Chaz Ramsey didn't purposely hurt Dorsey. He was a freshman playing at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge at night!! He had a lot of pressure on him. He would never hurt him on purpose. Everyone should back off and forgive him. I'm a huge auburn fan and will back him up,because I knew it was not on purpose!! The auburn family needs to come together and support him. WAR EAGLE!!
by augirl on Feb 2, 2008 7:38 PM CST 0 recs
Well...
I really want to know what AU fans would be saying if LSU would stomp on your logo on your field pre-game, shove your band members and half time, chop block Quintin Groves "accidentally" (I know he just graduated) and put him out of the game,having that play not draw a flag, win the game when on a horrible call on the last play of the game, and then bust out cigars on AU's field because it's our president's neice's best friend's birthday.
by LSU Jonno on Feb 3, 2008 9:04 AM CST 0 recs
New FanPost
