# College football rivalry gone insane: scummy bastard poisons trees at Toomer's Corner **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639 "2011-02-16T22:41:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/1 "2011-02-16T22:41:51Z")
Just heard about this through the usual scuttlebutt sites: [Toomer’s Corner oaks poisoned with herbicide; unlikely to survive](http://ocm.auburn.edu/news/oaks.html). I’m a huge Bama fan, and of course, the Bama fan base is the prime suspect to have produced the pile of feces who poured Spike 80DF on the oaks’ soil (and then called in to the Finebaum show to brag about it). And I must acknowledge that we probably have some crazy redneck bastards who are capable of doing this. But Lord, I hope not. In any case, to Auburn U.: I’m so sorry this happened. This crap has gotten way out of hand. If it was a Bama fan, we should just end the Iron Bowl altogether. It’s not worth all this bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/2 "2011-02-16T22:59:22Z")
Wow, that’s outrageous. Is there any chance they can track down the person who claimed responsibility? He should go to jail as well as forced to repay the school. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/3 "2011-02-16T23:47:48Z")
I sure hope so. He was dumb enough to call in and brag, so I assume there are phone records. I hope they nail him to the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/4 "2011-02-17T00:50:55Z")
This is about as stupid as the Oklahoma fan who tore off a Texas fans’ scrotum. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/5 "2011-02-17T03:52:43Z")
Dawg fan here who hates Auburn. The players are a bunch of no-class thuggish cheaters. Auburn’s nothing but a podunk university in a cow town. Nothing good to say about it. … But even through my fanatic rabid Dawg eyes, I can see that this is totally wrong. What the f\*$k is wrong with people? I don’t like Auburn, but I can appreciate rolling Toomer’s Corner. Traditions like that are what make college athletics so interesting and fun. I hope they catch the asshole, hit him with felony charges, and make him pay restitution for those trees. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/6 "2011-02-17T14:04:52Z")
The oak trees are 130 years old. It will take that long to replace them; this isn’t something money or community service can undo. I hope to see that 130-year figure appear in the sentencing phase. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/7 "2011-02-17T14:24:03Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > The oak trees are 130 years old. It will take that long to replace them; this isn’t something money or community service can undo. I hope to see that 130-year figure appear in the sentencing phase. Perhaps one week each year for 130 years doing community service as a gardener at Auburn U. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/8 "2011-02-17T14:29:47Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > This is about as stupid as the Oklahoma fan who tore off a Texas fans’ scrotum. Whaaaaa? Is the tree pictured at the bottom of the news link the same one as above? It’s dated 1890, 121 years ago, and obviously was already a mature tree at that time. The tree(s) may be a fair bit older than 130. As a huge fan of oaks and football, this is beyond messed up. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/9 "2011-02-17T16:02:58Z")
An arrest has apparently been made. He is indeed an “Al from Dadeville”, and he is an Alabama fan, but to no one’s particular surprise, he never attended the University of Alabama, is not even from the state, and at the time of Bear Bryant’s death, which he used on the radio show to justify his actions (He claimed that Auburn students rolled Toomer’s Corner when Bryant died - it never happened.), he was a Texas state trooper. He even admitted on the show that he really wasn’t even a Bama fan when Bryant died. He’s just some dumb-ass redneck “sidewalk alum”. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/10 "2011-02-17T16:10:38Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > … at the time of Bear Bryant’s death, which he used on the radio show to justify his actions (He claimed that Auburn students rolled Toomer’s Corner when Bryant died - it never happened.), he was a Texas state trooper. Since Bear Bryant died 28 years ago, this idiot must be at least in his late 40s or early 50s. Why is a middle-aged man doing stuff that would be totally immature in a teenager? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/11 "2011-02-17T16:15:07Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Since Bear Bryant died 28 years ago, this idiot must be at least in his late 40s or early 50s. Why is a middle-aged man doing stuff that would be totally immature in a teenager? He’s actually in his 60’s, and I have no idea. He may just be one of those sad losers who cling to college football because he has nothing else of value (or thinks he doesn’t, which is worse.) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/12 "2011-02-17T16:18:46Z")
The most he could get for a first-degree criminal mischief\* conviction is ten years. Maybe he could be put into a prison with Auburn fans . . . \*He’s been arrested for that, and from the law, it’s certainly first degree (value of more than $2500). ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/13 "2011-02-17T16:19:59Z")
Okay I’m a sadist… visiting alabama fan boards where people are saying this entire incident was created by auburn to divert attention from a recruiting investigation… as a yankee i must say that Ohio State Michigan ain;t got shit on the SEC when it comes to crazy!! You gotta hear that guys phone call to Finebaum… he’s clearly off his meds… ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/14 "2011-02-17T16:52:32Z")
> [@Chicagojeff](#): > > Okay I’m a sadist.. visiting alabama fan boards where people are saying this entire incident was created by auburn to divert attention from a recruiting investigation.. as a yankee i must say that Ohio State Michigan ain;t got shit on the SEC when it comes to crazy!! > > You gotta hear that guys phone call to Finebaum.. he’s clearly off his meds.. I keep trying to use logic in one of those message boards, but I think I’m finished. The crazy is too pervasive, and I’m sick of wallowing in it. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/15 "2011-02-17T17:24:11Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > I hope they nail him to the wall. For killing a couple trees? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/16 "2011-02-17T17:27:16Z")
It really is a shame about the trees, what with all the history. I’m a tree nut and get pissed when someone even prunes one wrong, much less poisons a beautiful, mature one. That said, in trying to read up on this I do see that that particular species of tree is not native to the area and that it was struggling already. They can transplant really big trees now and a species that should thrive in the area. Point being that if and when the oak(s) does die, it won’t necessarily be some sapling that’s expected to carry the _weight_ of such a longstanding and robust tradition, not to mention numerous _“Rolls”_ of TP. Sorry about your trees, **Ogre**. That sonuvabitch doesn’t know the first thing about what constitutes a sports rivalry. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/17 "2011-02-17T17:28:23Z")
> [@Stringer](#): > > For killing a couple trees? :rolleyes: Yes. First, those trees are someone else’s property, and have an actual value that can (and you can bet your ass, will) be assessed. Second, it’s not just the trees themselves. It’s the fact that they were sacred to a lot of people, and had been standing there for nearly 150 years. What he did was criminal, inexcusable, and should be harshly punished. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/18 "2011-02-17T17:34:13Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > It really is a shame about the trees, what with all the history. I’m a tree nut and get pissed when someone even prunes one wrong, much less poisons a beautiful, mature one. > > That said, in trying to read up on this I do see that that particular species of tree is not native to the area and that it was struggling already. They can transplant really big trees now and a species that should thrive in the area. Point being that if and when the oak(s) does die, it won’t necessarily be some sapling that’s expected to carry the _weight_ of such a longstanding and robust tradition, not to mention numerous _“Rolls”_ of TP. > > Sorry about your trees, **Ogre**. That sonuvabitch doesn’t know the first thing about what constitutes a sports rivalry. Auburn is, depending on the range map you consult, either just outside, or well within the range of live oak nativity. As a lifelong student of Alabama geography and naturalism, I can tell you that Auburn is in the Piedmont, and stands in an interesting ecotone between the coastal plain and the uplands. In a transitional area like that, normal range rules don’t always apply. I know of a place in Lee County (where Auburn is) where stands of coastal palms occur perfectly naturally, surrounded by upland species. As for the TP, yeah, the Aubs have been killing them for years, but that in no way means that some shithead has the right to come along and finish the job out of pure spite. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/19 "2011-02-17T17:43:09Z")
Yeah how dare anyone mess with the **sacred trees** , that motherfucker should rot in jail. You SEC fans sure care about the stupidest shit. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639/20 "2011-02-17T17:45:01Z")
> [@Stringer](#): > > Yeah how dare anyone mess with the **sacred trees** , that motherfucker should rot in jail. > > You SEC fans sure care about the stupidest shit. Oh sure. Campus icons that are meaningful to thousands and thousands of people spanning generations are exclusively an SEC phenomenon. :rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-football-rivalry-gone-insane-scummy-bastard-poisons-trees-at-toomers-corner/571639.md?page=2)