Go ahead, call me a hater, but I’ll enjoy Alabama fans roasting coach Kalen DeBoer

I tried to be a grown up when Kalen DeBoer left my alma mater to become Alabama’s coach.

I focused on the success DeBoer had in his two seasons at the University of Washington as opposed to the state of the football program after his departure. Sure, he’d used my school in the same manner that a pole vaulter uses a long, flexible stick, but we’d enjoyed 21 straight victories and a couple of bowl wins as he flung himself to the top of college football’s food chain.

My maturity didn’t make it out of the second week of the season. As soon as I saw that Alabama was in an unexpectedly close game with University of South Florida back on Sept. 7, I felt a visceral pulse of excitement not so much at the possibility of a Crimson Tide loss, but the thought of how the fans would scrutinize DeBoer were that to occur.

Probably a lot like they’re going to grill him this week after DeBoer’s top-ranked Crimson Tide lost at Vanderbilt of all places.

I actually missed the kickoff of Washington’s game against Michigan because I was watching the Commodores run out the clock, and while I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed DeBoer’s loss more than the Huskies’ 10-point upset of the 10 ^th -ranked Wolverines, the fact that I have to think about it is pretty telling.

I don’t think this reflects well upon me, but I’m not all that embarrassed about it, either. I might even spend some of my Monday listening to Paul Finebaum’s show on the SEC Network so I can hear some proper wailing from Crimson Tide fans.

It is not all that different from the way I felt two years ago when Russell Wilson went to Denver. Like Wilson, DeBoer decided he wanted a bigger stage than he was afforded in Seattle. Like Wilson, DeBoer might wind up subjecting himself to a level of scrutiny and judgment that he’s not entirely ready for.

To be clear, I think DeBoer is a really good football coach. I just don’t think there is a football coach alive who could live up to the expectations that come with replacing Nick Saban.

The question is why I would care about this as much as I do. After all, DeBoer’s success at Alabama — or lack thereof — has no bearing on what happens to Washington. If DeBoer comes up short at Alabama, it won’t make the Huskies stand any taller.

It is also a tad hypocritical on my part given the time I’ve invested in becoming a less resentful person. I even started a newsletter called Grudgery where I spend a fair amount of time talking about how I let go of the anger I’d harbored against my stepfather for more than 20 years.

I have failed to achieve that same degree of personal growth when it comes to my fandom, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I really want to.

Bitterness is a flavor I tend to savor in sports.

I think it’s great that 25 years later, Seattle still isn’t totally over Alex Rodriguez’s free-agent departure to Texas, and I still clench my teeth in anger when someone mentions the name Tyrone Willingham. I got sober seven years ago, but when the Oklahoma City Thunder are eliminated from the playoffs I dump 15 dashes of bitter into my soda water, add a lime wedge and toast their failure.

I am — as the kids would say — a bit of a hater.

I thought it would be different with DeBoer, though.

He’d led the Huskies to back-to-back 10-win seasons, which was more success than anyone could have expected in the wake of the disaster that was Jimmy Lake’s tenure. Being in the Superdome when Elijah Jackson slapped away Texas’s final pass in the Sugar Bowl is one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever had as a sports fan. I will always be grateful not just to the players but to DeBoer for that season.

I don’t blame him for leaving, either. By any measure, Alabama is a better job, in everything from the resources to the pedigree of the program to the quality of recruits.

That’s just the way things work in contemporary college football, where loyalty is as outdated as geography. There’s also a limit to how mad you can get about DeBoer’s departure from Washington given the Huskies went and orchestrated a very similar move by hiring Jedd Fisch out of Arizona.

I say all that and yet there I was squealing in excitement as Vanderbilt ran out the clock just as the Huskies were kicking off. I was not engaging in schadenfreude so much as I was bathing in it, and it certainly seems like this is an essential part of my fan experience.

I don’t think that DeBoer did anything wrong by choosing to become Alabama’s head coach, and I certainly don’t feel like that diminishes what he accomplished at Washington.

I’m just not going to be rooting for him any more either, and given the emotions I’ve experienced watching his new team play this season, I’m going to experience a great deal of satisfaction when he loses.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go find out where I can listen to some Alabama fans wallow over this loss to Vanderbilt.