Toomer's Corner

FLTiger · Feb 17, 2011

I know many of y'all won't understand, but I am grieving for an experience that I've known since my youth, that my son likely won't ever be able to share.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/andy_staples/02/17/toomers-corner/

If this thread is inappropriate, mods, please do the needful.

denver · Feb 17, 2011

I'm an AU fan by marriage and I too am upset about this. I was at the corner when AU beat Florida in 2006 and it was such a neat experience to see all the fans partaking in a storied tradition. This is very unfortunate.

inspiringK · Feb 17, 2011

It would be tough to decide what to do with this guy. It isn't really 'murder', even though he did technically kill, but it is more than just 'mischief'.

the beav · Feb 17, 2011

Well it happened, so there's not much to do about it now. Apparently it was some guy who never went to the University of Alabama. Seems like that's usually the case--it's the fans who didn't attend either school who are the most rabid and the cause of most problems.

View attachment 146878

The Pontificator · Feb 17, 2011

Hang the bastage! :mad3:

The Nid Hog · Feb 17, 2011

Fortunately, my alma mater has a beautiful statue that can withstand attacks like this. It's been scrubbed, sandblasted and repaired over the years, but it's never been poisoned.

I hope that AU has some big trees growing at a secluded nursery somewhere. I would bet that there's been somebody thinking about what to do when those trees die a natural death or get knocked over in a hurricane. I know that many schools with famous trees have plans for similar situations.

kimfella · Feb 17, 2011

The Nid Hog said:
I would bet that there's been somebody thinking about what to do when those trees die a natural death or get knocked over in a hurricane. I know that many schools with famous trees have plans for similar situations.

I would hope so. All trees die eventually. I don't know what the life expectancy of a live oak is, but those appear to be surrounded by sidewalks and roads, so I expect their life expectancy would be less than the norm.

Does AU have a horticulture department? It may still be possible to root cuttings. Even though they wouldn't be big enough to 'roll' for some time, they would be direct descendants of the current trees.

Walter Sobchak · Feb 17, 2011

A disgusting act by a disturbed man.

It's a pretty grim prognosis for the trees.

Maybe AU will get lucky and the poison hasn't been absorbed as much as they think. Not sure if they're entertaining the idea of removing the soil and replacing it with clean soil, but I would guess that would be a logical next step...unless they already know it's too late.

the beav · Feb 17, 2011

The poison was applied the week after the Auburn-Alabama game (i.e. the week after my photo was taken), so it has had time to leach into the soil. I'm not sure how deep it has gone since November, but it must be deep enough to where they can't scrape it out. The university is going to try a few things that might work but who knows.

As you can see in the photo, the tree on the left was in pretty good shape but the one on the right had seen much better days. My personal opinion is that rolling the trees after every win in every sport was way over the top and the whole thing needed to be curtailed anyway, especially as the toilet paper stuck to the leaves thereby smothering them if it rained the next day. Then came the wash crew with fire hoses which further damaged the branches as they picked out the toilet paper and blew off the limbs. But there was little incentive to tone down the whole event since it brought business to the downtown and boosted that "Auburn feeling" for the University. It seems to me that everybody from the University on down had their hands in the pot at the expense of the trees themselves.

When I was in school there three decades ago the tradition was in place but it was nowhere near the circus that it is now. Personally I never rolled the trees or knew anyone who did, and I was in a major fraternity full of football fanatics at the time. Although some students are always present at the tree rolling today, many of the tree rollers are either alumni or people with kids, and it's nothing to see forty ten-year-olds out there throwing toilet paper all over everything. Some of the local businesses even sold individual rolls of toilet paper just for that purpose.

Auburn started a program a few years ago where they collected the acorns off the trees every fall and then sold the saplings to raise money for the alumni programs. So there should be plenty of saplings around. The problem is that this type of herbicide does not break down for 3-5 years, so unless they dig up the entire area and replace the soil, it's going to be awhile before anything gets planted here.

ImaWestie · Feb 18, 2011

the beav said:
Auburn started a program a few years ago where they collected the acorns off the trees every fall and then sold the saplings to raise money for the alumni programs. So there should be plenty of saplings around. The problem is that this type of herbicide does not break down for 3-5 years, so unless they dig up the entire area and replace the soil, it's going to be awhile before anything gets planted here.

Sounds like you've just identified what the alma mata should be aiming to do - remove the tree, remove a few truckloads of soil, replace the soil, transplant a tree grown from sapling about 10 years ago.

You should see the figs they transplanted at work. Transplanting a 10 year old oak would be childs play. Expensive, but childs play.

Deltaboy · Feb 18, 2011

Sad I am a strong believer in protecting an honoring School Traditions; this act is way over the line and I hope the he is punished to the fullest extent of the Law.

Greyfox · Feb 18, 2011

Don't worry. :001_smile

As a born and raised Southern boy I assure you that both justice (the court, as he is facing up to 10 years) and Southern justice(who knows yet what that sentence will be ) will be served. It's a matter of honor. It's just a matter of time. If he is lucky he will get a long sentence so that people have time to forget a bit.

Walter Sobchak · Feb 18, 2011

the beav said:
The poison was applied the week after the Auburn-Alabama game (i.e. the week after my photo was taken), so it has had time to leach into the soil. I'm not sure how deep it has gone since November, but it must be deep enough to where they can't scrape it out. The university is going to try a few things that might work but who knows.

As you can see in the photo, the tree on the left was in pretty good shape but the one on the right had seen much better days. My personal opinion is that rolling the trees after every win in every sport was way over the top and the whole thing needed to be curtailed anyway, especially as the toilet paper stuck to the leaves thereby smothering them if it rained the next day. Then came the wash crew with fire hoses which further damaged the branches as they picked out the toilet paper and blew off the limbs. But there was little incentive to tone down the whole event since it brought business to the downtown and boosted that "Auburn feeling" for the University. It seems to me that everybody from the University on down had their hands in the pot at the expense of the trees themselves.

When I was in school there three decades ago the tradition was in place but it was nowhere near the circus that it is now. Personally I never rolled the trees or knew anyone who did, and I was in a major fraternity full of football fanatics at the time. Although some students are always present at the tree rolling today, many of the tree rollers are either alumni or people with kids, and it's nothing to see forty ten-year-olds out there throwing toilet paper all over everything. Some of the local businesses even sold individual rolls of toilet paper just for that purpose.

Auburn started a program a few years ago where they collected the acorns off the trees every fall and then sold the saplings to raise money for the alumni programs. So there should be plenty of saplings around. The problem is that this type of herbicide does not break down for 3-5 years, so unless they dig up the entire area and replace the soil, it's going to be awhile before anything gets planted here.

Oh wow, I didn't realize the guy dosed the trees that long ago. I thought it was some twisted act of jealousy over Auburn taking the Nat. Champ.

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Toomer's Corner

FLTiger

denver

inspiringK

the beav

The Pontificator

The Nid Hog

kimfella

Walter Sobchak

the beav

ImaWestie

Deltaboy

Greyfox

Walter Sobchak

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