Team Not Staying 4 'The Eyes' ...

B

Barton Hills

1,000+ Posts
This isn't a flame, just a question ... I've calmed since yesterday.

I applaud the team, and Coach Barnes, for a spectacular season. They exceeded my expectations. But they did surprise me yesterday after the game.

After extending the last 4 minutes to what seemed like eternity, the majority of our fans exited prior to the buzzer. My wife and I decided to fight the urge to bolt, even though the game was already out of hand. We wanted to stay in our seats to show our appreciation for the season, and sing "The Eyes" with our players/coaches.

Much to my dismay, as the band struck up "The Eyes", our entire team and staff walked off the floor as the music played without so much as thinking twice. Not one raised Horn from what I could tell. Anyone ever witnessed this before ?

I've seen the football team lose by 50 to OU, seen the baseball team get swept by CSF in Omaha, but they've always stayed until that song was completed. Hell, the baseball team doesn't even have the luxury of a band. Anyone have any thoughts about this ?

I thought it was curious, and frankly disrespectful ... but what do I know, maybe I just have too much pride in The University of Texas.

Again, great season guys ... I look forward to a promising 2008-09 campaign.

hookem.gif
 
I figured this topic would show up...

Same thing happened Friday after the Stanford game. I don't know what the reason was but it wasn't because we just got ran out of the gym.
My guess would be. Fri - needed to get in the locker room so the other teams could warm up. Sun - needed to get out of the way of the ceremony for Memphis.
 
Hi Evan.

Yes, I'm harping on a minor post game detail, but I don't think it had anything to do with "having to get off the court".

There was nobody escorting them from the floor, they simply walked off.

I'm tired. I need a nap.
 
I saw all the post season games this season, K.C. Little Rock, and Houston. To my knowledge I never saw the team stay for the Eyes. With the usual "Battle of The Bands" attitude at most of the venues I don't really think it is practical. We got the Eyes in a little earlier than usual yesterday I guess because we lost. Basketball home games yes, post season games pretty much what you saw yesterday is the norm IMO. Still crushed it's over but great season.
 
Did the band even play "The Eyes" in Little Rock?

I remember thinking we're not going to be able to even hear ourselves sing with all the booing that's going to transpire, but it never came up.

It's a worthwhile question. It was a big reason I stayed until the end, but I always try to.
 
Seem like our band is always way too polite in when we fire up the Eyes. We wait for the other team to play their fight song and sometimes even get caught when the next teams playing get going on their songs. I sure thought we played the Eyes after both games in LR, just a long time after the game ended. Maybe somebody can correct me if I'm wrong.
 
I still remember Brian Ribinson fighting through the crowd after a loss to kstate just so he could sing the Eye's of Texas.
Great Moment
 
We stayed for the eyes because it's just the right thing to do. So, I was interested to see how it all played out after the game. The whole band coordination of who played when seemed very structured. I think their band got to play their fight song right away because they won. That said, the ceremony started, I believe, 4 minutes after the end of the game. Between their band playing and the start of the ceremony I lost track of the team. I don't necessarily blame them but it would have been nice. Great season, nonetheless.

Hook 'em!

hookem.gif
 
this issue came up in 2003 as well, the only time I've ever seen the basketball team stay and sing after a tournament game was the game sealing the deal to go to the final four in 2003 in SA and mainly cause they were still on the court for the ceremony. However after the sweet sixteen victory there were a lot of people bitching they left. The tournament is just not set up to allow them to do it religiously like they do at home at the FEC.
 
I don't sweat stuff like this in a tourny.

At the Miami game it was hard to hear the Eyes because A) the Miami band was playing, and B) Memphis ran out on the court almost as soon as our buzzer sounded and the place went nuts cause it was packed with Memphis fans.

And I actually thought they had already walked off before the band started yesterday.
 
I agree, I too am impressed at how civilized this thread has remained. I love Rick Barnes as a basketball coach and he has, at times, been very generous towards the fans (buying pizza for the OZone a few years ago) and I'm sure is a great guy personally. However, he's not Mack Brown. Mack will sit there at a bball game as an endless line of photo-seekers pesters him. I'm not sure I can see Coach Barnes doing the same thing at a football game. The point of all this, is that I think Coach Barnes, justifiably, doesn't get caught up in some of the traditions or hoop-la that surround Texas athletics. Mack, though he didn't go to school here, has the benefit of being the football coach at a football school. Coach Barnes, no matter how great this team gets, continues to play second fiddle in Austin. I'm not saying that's why the team didn't stay for The Eyes, but I think it might explain what appears to be a general lack of "enthusiasm" for some of the things-UT that students and alums get very fired up about.
 
re: bball team not staying to sing "The Eyes" and "I thought it was disrespectful" . . . . .

It's a free country and it's anyone's prerogative to opine on matters of respect and disrespect.

Having said that, the team/staff has a similar prerogative to decide whether they want/need to stay and sing the song.

Surely none of you are insinuating that Coach Barnes and the staff and team did this just to disrespect the University.

And I'd bet no one on here has the nads to go to his office or next presser and ask him just what the hell he was thinking.


rolleyes.gif
 
I wouldn't have any problem asking Barnes about it.

I don't see what the big deal would be.

"Coach Barnes, I know that usually the team stays after games to sing "The Eyes of Texas", but they didn't appear to after the loss to Memphis. Was that because of something unusual regarding the circumstances surrounding a tournament game, or was there something else to it?"
 
I wonder if those guys have as much Texas pride as the other athletes? Honestly, not every student has pride. To some, it's just a place to goto school.




I remember being there for 14-3. Corey Redding lead the team towards the band. I've never seen him that intense. That guy had alot of pride.
 
i was involved with the NCAA tournament for two years. They are very strict with moving people on and off the court and in and out of the facilities. They keep things moving and may not allow this to occur.
 
SLX the "usually stays" part of your hypothetical question just isn't the case. Home games we always stay, road games there isn't a band so we never stay, post season games over they years I just haven't seen it occur. The MSU win in SA seems to be the only exception I can recall and that probably happened because the team was hanging around to cut down the nets. Why has never been explained, but I would assume it isn't practical.
 
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