Well, well, well... things are really looking gloomy down in College Station. Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, the Aggies hit a sad, pathetic low - even for them! Perhaps jealous of their rival Longhorns success, and incredulous that a bunch of supposed ninnies from the Northwest might be as psychotic as they are... Texas A&M has filed suit against the Seattle Seahawks seeking an injunction to stop the use of the "12th Man" campaign that the `Hawks have been promoting.

I was going to say something about this being bad for the image of the school in the Northwest, but considering that they breed their students on secret incest farms, I guess it's a moot point.

Still, this is a pretty sad day for the Aggies, considering the timing. Here the Seahawks are, enjoying an unprecedented run of success that's led them to the Super Bowl, and a bunch of pouty spoil-sports go sprinting to the courts to put an end to the party. I knew that the Aggies had a copyright on the recorded "Woot!" sound that the Yell Leaders use, but I wasn't aware that the "12th Man" slogan itself was protected. Apparently it is.

The worst of it is that the Aggies couldn't wait until after the Super Bowl to deal with this. If it were me, I'd wait for the festivities to end, then quietly send a letter to the Seahawks politely saying, "Excuse me, but for next season, can you guys not use that? Technically, we own that phrase. Sorry."

What's the point of making a big fuss of it now? Especially in the midst of the single most media-covered event in all of sports? What's the thinking here? "Hey, here's a chance for some bad publicity! Let's drop an ill-timed lawsuit in the Seahawks face! If we can't win on the football field, we certainly don't want anyone else to, either!"

The wheels, my friends, are coming off in College Station.

Gig Em

--PB--