"Southern Hospitality is no joke at Alabama"

don't know if this article is germans, but i was really hopeful that we would make a positive impression on Penn State's crowd, and at least this AMAZINGLY well worded reporter was impressed.

YAY Alabama!

"While I’m certain Penn State fans are completing a grumblefest that began late Saturday night and stretched through the weekend, I can tell you that PSU backers who made the trip to Alabama are returning with more complex emotions.

Typical was a couple I met while having breakfast at the Marriott on Sunday morning. They began our chat talking about how disappointed they were with the Nittany Lions’ performance in general and Joe Paterno’s bunker-in offensive philosophy in specific.

But they ended it on a more upbeat note. And that’s thanks to the experience they had at Bryant-Denny Stadium and around a football program and fan base comparable in scope to any in the nation — even Penn State’s. All we could eventually talk about was how pleasant everyone was and what a great thing they have going here.

You can tell a lot about a team’s fans when they’re on top. Of course, all fans are happy when their team is kicking butt like Alabama’s has been lately, winning the national championship just last January and ranked No. 1 in the nation after Saturday night’s 24-3 defeat of the Lions.

But not all fans are gracious with success. Think about the smugness of Yankees fans, the belligerence of Eagles fans, the just plain obnoxious chest-thumping of fans from a lot of places including those of my alma mater, Ohio State. Not talking about all of the fans, in any case. But a large enough percentage that stereotypes begin to emerge.

Conversely, all groups of fans can have their annoying members when lubed up with enough alcohol and/or baited by their bitterest rivals.

But I can tell you this much about my first trip to Alabama and I think a lot of PSU fans who made this trip would agree: Very few people associated with any team project as much grace and love for the game of college football than these folks. They’re good people. And it’s plain to see in every detail they’ve etched into their domain. Visiting it and meeting them has been a gratifying experience.

Manners and common courtesy are endangered qualities in this country. We’re infected by living in the harsh environs of the East Coast, I suppose. The pace of everyday life is just different. The density of population tends to sap the civility out of everyone. And we probably wear our attitude on our sleeves like scrambled eggs on an officer’s cap. It’s fun to play the part of the hardcore Eastern urban cynic.

But when you see so many people offering smiles and good cheer as a matter of course, it’s a welcome change of pace. In the South, like the Great Plains, people are just nicer. Not in a cloying way, but because they were brought up thinking it’s the right thing to do.

Add in a football venue that manages to be at once warm and impressive and you have something special. Everywhere are fans eager to be social. Middle-aged husbands and wives curious about the visitor and proud to tell about their Crimson Tide memories. Coeds in crimson dresses, looking like they’re going out to a nice restaurant instead of a football game, smiling at their lucky boyfriends.

And everywhere, “pleases” and “thank yous” and “excuse mes” with that voice like butter on hot toast. Make that a biscuit. They don’t do toast down here.

Yeah, they have alcohol problems late at night, too. On the way back to the car, we passed one girl yelling at some guy like she wanted to smack him upside for some reason. Another one was completely trashed, sitting on a corner knoll, head between her splayed legs while her friend tried to keep her hair out of potential projectile range. Hey, it’s college.

But what’s clear is how much they love and take ownership of their corner of the game.

They cheered Joe Paterno wildly when his mug came on the four stadium Jumbotrons as he met Nick Saban and Bobby Bowden before the game. Can you imagine Beaver Stadium fans doing that for Bowden?

Everywhere I went on this trip — in the stadium, in the hotel, on the connecting flight to Atlanta on the way home — I met somebody else from Alabama just damned fun to talk to. The guy who videotapes the Million Dollar Band’s halftime performances (and what a big sound they make). The clerks who ask how your stay in their state is going — and sound like they really want to know. The Tide fan flew up from Florida with his wife and is planning a trip to State College next year for the rematch.

They all like people. They all know their football. They love to talk about it. And it’s not fake. It’s who they are.

Well, here’s one Yankee who’s glad they’re down here even if we rarely see them. ’Bama gets it right. It would be good to do right by them next fall. "