‘That’s so Auburn’ means something different now

Posted on 6/6/19 at 9:50 pm

Posted by AUFan2015

Oneonta, Alabama

Member since Oct 2013

1840 posts

Posted on 6/6/19 at 9:50 pm

AL.com

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That’s so Auburn.

The phrase has a new meaning now for me, and it has nothing to do with the games.

The games are great. We love them, and that’s how we share common bonds, but “it’s so Auburn” means something so much more important now.

Auburn has a knack for keeping things interesting until the end because, more often than not, the Tigers are competitive. Sometimes they win in dramatic fashion (Kick Six), and sometimes they lose (Final Four). Either way, “it’s so Auburn.”

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It’s a salute to character and courage even if the context might evoke a little sarcasm. “That’s so Auburn” is a testament to commitment.

Auburn fights until the last.

Most recently, “that’s so Auburn” was passed around on social media after the baseball team lost in the SEC tournament on a walk-off passed ball and fielding error. That was two weeks ago Thursday.

Then Auburn went home. And then Saturday happened. Beloved Auburn play-by-play announcer Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula, died tragically in an automobile accident. Now nothing really seems the same anymore. Not even the games.

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Auburn won its regional because that’s what Auburn does, and then the team got on a bus and went back home.

The ride back was an emotional one for Thompson, who hasn’t had much time to grieve for the loss of his friends.

“The most heartbroken I’ve been is we win the regional, and get up the next morning, and coming back, and I’ve got my suit, and I never have a suit on a baseball trip,” said Thompson on Wednesday, fighting back tears once again. “I had to put my suit back on the bus. That just brings you right back down to where you’re like, man, this is a special time for our program, but then you got to pick up a suit and take it back, and drag it with your bag.

“We're not used to that in baseball.”

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Grief is so hard. The sharp pain of sorrow. The simplest of things can trigger so many memories and raw emotions: the places we go, the things we wear, a song. The grieving does something else, though. It brings us together, and forces us to appreciate things in ways maybe we never did before.

The sports are still important, but the outcomes less so.

When Thompson and his team returned from Georgia Tech, there was a large group of fans there to welcome them home. Auburn was cheering each other, as a family, more than they were the most recent victories.

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It was a beautiful moment, and painted a lasting mental picture of how Auburn has defined itself since the loss of the Brambletts. The Auburn baseball team defeated Coastal Carolina and Georgia Tech in Atlanta over the weekend to win its regional, but the well-wishers waiting for the team when they returned home were celebrating something more important than sports.

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They were rallying around the Auburn family, which has been a shining beacon for not only the power of collegiate athletics in the last two weeks, but the power of ourselves as a state. “Auburn Family” is a catchphrase for the Tigers, but it’s not just marketing bluster. It is rooted in values that describe what’s best about Alabama.

It is so Auburn. It is so us.

Over the past two weeks, Auburn has taught us something about life, and how to celebrate it.

Over the past two weeks, Auburn has taught us something about life, and how to live it. The Rod and Paula Bramblett Family Memorial Fund, which was set up for the Bramblett children, has raised over $325,000.

Wouldn’t be surprised if it hit half a million. That would be so Auburn.

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On Saturday, Auburn baseball will begin its three-game series at North Carolina for a spot in the College World Series. If Auburn wins its Super Regional, then it will be a nice reward to another successful season for Thompson and his players.

Right now, though, just being together means more than anything.

“Baseball has been like a blessing for us,” Thompson said. “Baseball has been a blessing for our family.”

Didn't post this in the baseball thread because I think there's more to it than just baseball.

Thought the article deserved it's own thread