Earlier this week, Slate ran its annual Teams We Hate feature. I’m a longtime contributor. Back in 2005, I took a lot of shit from Vermont fans who seemed utterly astounded that someone would actually hate Vermont. They didn’t come to that realization with a lot of grace. Last year, I hated on Notre Dame. Didn’t hear much back on that one, I suppose, because the Domers are used to being hated.

This year, I did West Virginia and USC (Southern California, not South Carolina). USC fans I’m pretty sure aren’t even fully aware they have a basketball team, but I was worried about the West Virginia fans. I took a low-blow shot about “Larry the Cable Guy aficionados” that I figured wouldn’t go over too well. I prepared to be shamed for indulging in such base stereotypes.

However, this particular e-mail chain—-between a fellow Teams We Hate contributor and an irate ‘Eer—-proves WVU fans deserve all the low blows they get:

On Thu, Mar 20, 2008 at 1:27 PM, K SmithP wrote:
I know that being from West Virginia means suffering all those really original jokes we’ve never heard a million times about trailer trash and Larry the Cable buy, but half the students who attend WVU are from out of state – mostly New Jersey. When they come here, they bring a particular brand of nastiness not normally found in West Virginia.

If you’re going to bash WVU and use cliches and stereotypes, you might throw in a few Guido references just to keep it balanced.

Fuck you.

wrote:
You know I didn’t write that West Virginia item, right?

K SmithP wrote:
I see. I didn’t know you each had a byline on each seperate, nasty, snippy, snarky little individual team bash.

Sorry about the “fuck you.” Can you pass my message along to Mr. Winetraub? . . .with the “fuck you”?

Thank you.

wrote:
Mike DeBonis, actually. Fuck him, too?

K SmithP wrote:
Yes, please.

Thank you.

wrote:
My pleasure.