Texas A&M has always been a bit of a curiosity to me. I always thought that bonfire was cool. Of course they had that tragedy with it and I believe they no longer do it or no longer do it the old way but I wish that they still did. The idea that students put it all together and not some hired contractor was amazing. I don't think it would be the victims of that mishap wish that they stopped that. I always thought it was a bit odd that they built a cemetery for their mascot dogs so that they could "watch" the games. Then, over the years, I come to find out that when they built an expansion that would have obstructed "the view" they kept a guy out there with a chalk board and he kept the score for the dead dogs. Now I hear that there is a miniature electronic scoreboard looking over the dead dog cemetery.... that's weird. I also don't really understand what their "corps" is. It's not the corps as in USMC. I've heard it's not even a ROTC thing. So basically it's just a bunch of college kids playing army dress-up? I know A&M puts a lot of grads into the armed forces but the corps is apparently completely unrelated to that. Today I think I found out the strangest tradition of all about A&M. The fact that it involves the corps just ads to it. Apparently during a crucial down, game deciding situation, or better yet "crunch time", they grab themselves and squeeze so that they yell louder... Sounds crazy I know and I've only heard of this not seen it with my own eyes at Kyle field... but I have seen this:
I live in Austin so regularly check the A&M and Texas boards since I'm surrounded. I think they're both humorous for different reasons. The Texas board usually has some intelligent posts and come up with some great stuff to poke fun at the aggies (seems easy, really). The aggies have an enormous inferiority complex and are constantly on the defensive and trying to prove they are the equal of Texas. Few ags have any clue as to why normal folks (i.e. anyone who is not in the cult) think they are weird.
I hate an Aggie as much as the next LSU guy and the video, I can't explain. Nor can I explain their band, I just hate it. However, the Corp is ROTC. One more serious point to make, other than the men at West Point, Texas A&M has most likely lost more graduates than any other college in Iraqi. Back to football, I wish we could get them on the schedule again.
A&M is the most wretched group of individuals I have ever met. Although I am dissapointed LSU punked out on the series. The fact I dont ever have to set foot on that campus full of male cheerleading dont step on the grass nut jobs is fantastic. They are the rudest most arrogant silly group of wackos I have ever met. I have 3 aggies that work for me, 2 are O.K. the other I think at any moment is about to go on a three state killing spree. As for the Military aspect of it. That I do tip my hat to A&M they do have a long history of soldiers who have defended my right to call them wackos. Cannot knock them for that.
They defy description and are impossible to understand. JohnnyT explains it about as well as it can be explained.
The Corps is definitely ROTC which is still very big at A&M. Like LSU it was once mandatory for all male students. After West Point, the two schools who contributed more officers to World War II were Texas A&M and LSU--The Ol' War School.
I think the thing with the mascot cemetary and scoreboard is kind of funny. But I still don't like the Aggies. One of my fondest memories of LSU was the Aggie Joke Day at Free Speech Ally the week of the A&M games.
