The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Recently a person claiming to be an alumnus of UAB sent the following critical opinion on the UAB Sports program to be printed in the Birmingham News:

http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014..._emba.html

I am sick and tired of traitors in ranks who give aid and comfort to our enemies by spewing garbage they want to hear - saying the same things as those who would love to see the UAB sports program disappear. I wrote the following letter to this "fellow alumnus", but it applies all others of his ilk:

"I just read your comments in the sports pages of the Birmingham News where you called the UAB sports program “laughable”, “an embarrassment to the city, the state, the students, and alumni” and suggested that “UAB should probably consider disbanding all of their sports programs”. Well, I hope that you enjoyed your very public rant because like everything else in life, it comes with price. You probably won’t know it in rural Northern Mississippi, but you have managed to make every enemy of UAB sports who read your comments very happy. The Bamas will absolutely love you. They make the exact same comments at every opportunity. As a self proclaimed alumnus and fan, your caustic comments were much more hurtful to UAB than any harm they are capable of inflicting with their public comments.

Either you are completely ignorant of the college sports situation in the state of Alabama, and/or you are too stupid to keep your rants to yourself, or you intentionally set out to do harm to the UAB sports program. Since I am not inclined to believe that you are either ignorant or stupid, I am left to conclude that you may have done it intentionally. I suspect that like many early UAB graduates I have met, you grew up a fan of Alabama or some other SEC school and never supported UAB sports. I have seen others like you use their status as UAB graduates to do as much harm as they could to our sports program. Come to think about it, I would prefer I later find out that I am completely wrong and that you well meaning, but just ignorant and/or stupid. That would be easier to deal with somehow.

Whatever your loyalties and motivations, as another UAB graduate and true UAB fan, I consider you an embarrassment to the University and its sports programs. The next time you feel a rant coming on, please send it to your local rag, the Lake Cormorant News. I’m sure that have space to fill and it is unlikely that it will be read by there by real UAB fans or the Alabama fans who hate the UAB. Or maybe the Memphis Commercial Appeal will print it; lots of Memphis fans love to hate UAB. It’s okay if they read it because Memphis are a friendly rival whose fans aren’t doing everything in their power to make UAB sports disappear. Or better yet, have a few beers and go to bed. You’ll feel better in the morning."

The writer says he lives in Lake Cormorant, Al, not MS

(02-22-2014 11:10 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  The writer says he lives in Lake Cormorant, Al, not MS

Nice Catch! Yep, I saw that up front, but it has to be am misprint by the paper. There is no Lake Cormorant, AL and yet there is a Larry S. Poe listed in Lake Cormorant, MS. That is too much of a coincidence to be anything but the author of the comments.

It has been mentioned before, but I find it rather interesting that a lot of stations & companies in the media that kept predicting & seemed to thrive on the demise of UAB athletics, are the ones today that are no longer in existence.

I'm a generation removed, but who comes of age in Birmingham in the 1960s, graduates from college in the (presumable from this article) early 70s, and claims to be proud of being from Birmingham?

I just don't see too many people being in the column of being a UAB graduate & being ashamed of the program.

You have those who are graduates & support the program.
You have those who are graduates & support other programs.
You have those who graduated elsewhere & support other programs.
You have those who didn't graduate anywhere & support other programs.

I just don't see too many UAB graduates who are fans that have the opinion of the writer of the article.

Hey look at what this one guy said to this other guy.

(02-22-2014 11:43 AM)FNblazer Wrote:  I'm a generation removed, but who comes of age in Birmingham in the 1960s, graduates from college in the (presumable from this article) early 70s, and claims to be proud of being from Birmingham?

As with any viewpoint, it depends upon the beholder as to what you see.

I see a city that is trying to rebuild after being abandoned by about 150,000 of its most mobile citizens (not all "white") while the whole state suffered citizens "voting with their feet" so that our state's Congressional representation dropped during that period from 9 to 7 in just two census periods (and has not yet rebounded at all in the past 4 decades since).

I see a city whose remaining citizens were on the "outside looking in" until 1970 and were left with a city to run from the "inside" with little political experience to call upon. While the county went into bankruptcy around it (partly due to having its budget eviscerated by the state legislature in 1999), the city has started to rebuild with several projects that bode well for its future. A building partnership with UAB is an essential factor in this future for both.

Can the city continue to turn things around in the coming years? I am optimistic that it will attract more people to move into the city and help it grow and perhaps will even increase its support from its suburban localities who will realize that a strong central city will benefit the whole metro area.

An even better rejoinder to that Poe thing would have been to cite evidence to counter his assertions. He lauded the Watson era ( but failed to note the preceeding glory from our First football coach ). He brought fond memories of Harry the Hat;s teams but failed to recognize the achievements of our current coach and our most recent CUSA championship under his leadership. The same could be made regarding our successes on the hardwoods under Mike Anderson and even pretty good performances by Davis's teams at times. Id have to say that Mr Poe really doesnt keep up with UAB athletics or chooses to ignore highs and focus only on the lows.

+1 BD, I think he see only what he wants to see to support "his" opinion.