Why U Mad?

With Twitter, Facebook & Google+ (lol) the odds of a player sticking his foot firmly in his mouth have gone way up. This year's winner is USC linebacker Tony Burnett who posted messages on Twitter that got the collective panties of El Pasoans all in a bunch. USC plays Georgia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference at noon Dec. 31 in the 79th annual Sun Bowl.

"Georgia Tech!? El Paso, Texas!? New Years Eve"  "FML," Burnett stated on his Twitter account FML is slang meaning "Fuck my life." he also tweeted, "if you never seen a real life giant tumbleweed get ready." Somehow it was the crack about tumbleweeds that raised the ire of those who commented to the El Paso Times online edition.

Burnett, temporarily shut down his Twitter account and then send out a scripted apology, "Earlier today I made some tweets I regret. To the city of El Paso and representatives of the Hyundai Sun Bowl, I apologize for my remarks," Burnett said.  "My team and I are grateful for the opportunity to play in our first bowl game in three years ... and we are appreciative of all of the hard work that goes into making the game happen," he stated. "What I tweeted was not representative of my team or my university. I sincerely apologize and hope my apology is taken at its word."

Yeah sure, everything is cool. USC has not played in a bowl game the past two seasons due to NCAA sanctions. The Trojans started this season ranked No. 1 but finished with a 7-5 record, including losses to rivals UCLA and Notre Dame. Georgia Tech lost in the ACC Championship game and because of its 6-7 record had to get a waiver to play in its second-consecutive Sun Bowl. The Yellow Jackets lost to Utah in last year's bowl.

A similar incident took place in 1998, when the Trojans last played in the Sun Bowl against then lightly-regarded Texas Christian University, a 16-point underdog. Several Trojan players ran their mouths about El Paso before the game. This had the effect of turning the Sun Bowl into a TCU home game as  they beat USC 28-19.  In 1998, without the benefit of an online social network, stupid comments had to be made directly to sports reporters, who jotted them down on notepads.

 If you don't study history, you are doomed to repeat it. In 1983 SMU, in the midst of their epic run in the old Southwest Conf., fell victim to the football politics of the time and got bumped all the way down to the Sun Bowl.  This was the year after Craig James & Eric Dickerson had graduated, but the Pony Express still had enough gitty-up to finish at 10-1 (their sole loss came to Texas and cost them a spot in the Cotton Bowl)

The reality of the #6 team in the country having to play in El Paso at the Sun Bowl, slowly sunk in. The SMU players started running their mouths.  As Texans are prone to do, things quickly got racial and derogatory  On game day  despite a forecast of temps in the lower 70s, it was 28 degrees at kickoff with a wind chill factor of 8 degrees.

'Bama in its first season under Ray Perkins, had finished a disappointing 7-4, but the locals treated them like the home team throughout the pre-game festivities and now the Texas crowd turned their backs on their fellow Texans and rooted 'Bama on, as if they were the UTEP Miners.

The Tide delivered four haymaker touchdowns in the first half, running roughshod over SMU, who's vaunted Pony Express offense was relegated to Pony Depressed status by halftime. Alabama jumped out to a 28-0 lead and coasted to an easy 28-7 win, El Pasoans stormed the field when the game ended and lifted Ray Perkins on their shoulders in celebration.

A column poking light fun at the Sun Bowl in El Paso was removed, Tuesday evening from the sports website Bleacher Report.com. The author Lisa Horne called it  a "satirical look" at the El Paso's tourist attractions in a post aimed at USC fans. Horne wrote: "You might want to leave your evening gowns at home (El Paso isn't known for dressy attire) and make sure to bring your Kindle, in case you want to umm... pass some time in the town where Lee Trevino made a name for himself.

"The article was aimed at USC Football fans, however it quickly spread throughout the city of El Paso via social media. It was removed Tuesday afternoon after the author, Lisa Horne allegedly received two death threats from El Paso gang members. It is unknown how the threats were made"  The article has totally disappeared from the interwebs, however, El Paso 411.com posted some excerpts and screen shots. They are mildly humorous in a Mom Cafe kind of way, none are offensive, racists or even mean spirited

"The article was originally described as a “satirical look at all the fun things that are in store for Trojan fans in El Paso, Texas for the Sun Bowl.” Horne poked fun at the historic Plaza Theater as being named the No. 1 El Paso attraction, according to traveladvisor.com. “That’s right Trojan fans, the No. 1 attraction (of 42 attractions) in El Paso is the Plaza movie theater,” read the posting. Another post made fun of the El Paso Museum of Art. It read “Ladies, if you drag your husband to an art museum during bowl week there really isn’t much I can say to save your marriage"

"In another post, Horne made fun of Concordia Cemetery  She writes “Oh hell. The seventh-best thing to do in El Paso is to visit a cemetery?” The El Paso Zoo was also mentioned. ”Since most USC fans live in the Los Angeles or Orange County areas of southern California, this might be a good time to compare your local LA Zoo and San Diego Zoos to what El Paso offers"

And finally Horne ended the article with what traveladvisor.com considers the “17th-ranked best thing to do in El Paso: The H&H Car Wash and Coffee Shop.” ”It’s actually listed as a landmark/point of interest,” wrote Horne. “I don’t want to ruin the suspense for you, but apparently this car wash has “El Paso’s best Chile Rellenos.” Hot diggity!”  “There you have it, USC fans. New Year’s in El Paso! Send me a “Wish you were here” postcard with details on all the fun and exciting things you did in El Paso.”

But, if that's the worst or even the best she could do, then it's much-a-do about nothing. The same could be said about  Steve Mason & John Ireland (who was not in studio on Monday) the sports news makers and the sports news breakers from the 710 ESPN radio in Los Angeles. They also took a few jabs at USC, the Sun Bowl and El Paso. It's nothing overly witty or funny, but then it doesn't take that much to make the over sensitive residents of El Paso feel butthurt.  

Here's some of the things that Steve Mason and his cronies had to say, 

Out in the wild, wild twitter world, apparently somebody is complaining that I'm complaining about USC going to the El Paso Sun Bowl,  because I'm being a homer

No! I'm actually mocking them because that is where they wound up, that is an embarrassment, winding up in El Paso.  

It feels like the NCAA is actually rubbing their faces in this season by sending them to El Paso

I think they reserved that bowl specifically  because its on New Years Eve, they want to make an example, it's for people who are especially disappointing

I've never lived in a world where my wife, who went to Texas A&M and my brother who went to Vanderbilt, are both in more prestigious bowls than my alma mater USC, meanwhile, Vanderbilt is 8-4 and they're going to the Music City Bowl

Nashville is better than El Paso, you cannot see the drug war in Nashville, you can see it from El Paso

Honestly this is a true punishment for the guys, it is every last bit of horribleness, because it' s on New Year's Eve, so still have to keep practicing for another month

It's in El Paso and it's a bad game, the worst possible combination for the guys.  If you're a senior and you have to keep going to practice and It's New Years Eve and you're stuck in El Paso?

I think  we're going to see a new tradition at USC, where the Seniors go over the wall and just keep going and never come back

(someone then asked Mason)

So, are you going to the Sun Bowl?

Hell no!  are you kidding me.... not even if they pay me

We are doing the Sun Bowl pregame, from here not from there

It's one of those times when you're really happy to hear about the budget tightening

Like I said, it's not hardly funny nor entertaining, just some sports talk radio guys doing some mutual pud pulling. My advice to El Pasoans.... easy up on the sensitivity. Get a sense of humor about yourselves, it seems to work for Cleveland.  "Hell Paso" is a gritty, often dirty, blue collar burg, that butts up against the Mogadishu of the Americas.  It will never win any beauty contests, that's for sure!