Are we savages 2: Nero no more.

I was posting this as a comment and realized it was substantively full enough to warrant its own post, so here were just a few of my observations and points in response to tummystick's eloquent post on savagery:

1) How much joy did we derive from that ham sammy? It just laid there, in the corner of the end zone, unnoticed by everyone on the field, waiting to be picked up and cherished. It wanted to be held, to be loved and to be eaten. It was a brave ham sammy. I liked that ham sammy.

2) OSU fans, for comparison:


3) The Miami brawl was... well.. unbelievable in that I'll-never-fucking-forget-it kind of way. If only Ned was there.

4) The last couches I recall being burned were a few sporadic fires during last year's appearance in the Sweet 16. But rest assured, the frequency and intensity of these pillow stuffed conflagarations are decreasing. I think the most amazing thing was that absolutely no chaos occured when we knocked off Wake Forrest the year before last. Of course, it didn't hurt things that all the students were on Spring Break.

5) I also didn't see any fires after that VT game in '02. But I was focused on finding celebratory vagina.

6) An interesting comparison. Louisville game last year and the Rutgers game this year compared to the Miami game in... um... when Winslow made that heartbreaking catch. I think it was '03 or '04.

We're sitting in our apartment, watching the game wind down and the Mountaineers are up 1 or 2 points with just a few seconds to go. (Important fact: The game was in Miami.) The air was so thick with impending chaos and doom, dogs were hiding and babies were crying. State Police cars were spreading through the city in an attempt to temper the upcoming storm. The fire department was watering down important buildings. If we would have held on, the city would surely have burned to the ground.

Also, wasn't that the same year kids from Shiteau Royale broke into the stadium after a win AT Virginia Tech and tore down the goal posts?

Fast forward two or so years and the Mountaineers have established themselves as a yearly contender. Fans have elevated themselves to expect wins, even against the best teams in the nation.

Third quarter, Louisville is way up. Fans are flocking back to their liquor to dull the senses to what could have been. Bednarick is hurt and in comes our savior, Patrick White, who miraculously leads us back to tie it up. Fans comes streaming back to the game and finally Mountaineer field is alive again. Three suspenseful overtimes later, the Mountaineers emerge as winners. The most sinister act against a Louisville fan? "Welcome to the Big East!!!" The biggest fire? A small campfire which was quickly extinguished.

This past season, the Mountaineers defeat Rutgers in a similar fashion, requiring a suspenseful 3 overtimes to do so. No fires. No chaos. Just 60,000 fans glowing with pride, singing Country Roads and looking forward to that 30 pack of Natty Light.

7) It appears we are gaining nationwide credibility, at least with the fans. Posts on message boards around the Interwebs have become increasingly approving of WVU and our sports teams. Both Coach Rodriguez and Coach Beiline are widely accepted top coaches in their respective sports. Eventually, the WWL and other news outlets will be forced to recognize us as well. As a sports franchise, WVU has reached maturity, and so too have the fans. But just like Suzy Gulpsomecum down at Bent Willy's, it takes time to lose a bad reputation.