HOOVER, Alabama -- Meet the "I Hate Auburn" T-shirt guy. His name is Eric Blackerby. He's a 28-year-old fork lift operator from Columbiana. He's a huge Alabama fan.

And he's the latest symbol in the Iron Bowl rivalry. That tends to happen when you get shot down by Nick Saban in a press conference at SEC Media Days for wearing a shirt.

Saban was asked what he would tell the person wearing the "I Hate Auburn" shirt in the lobby.

"I would tell him it's not personal, that it really isn't personal," Saban said. "That is not really the way that we should respect the opponents that we have."

More painful words couldn't have been etched in Blackerby's obituary if you tried.

"I felt this big when I heard he said that," Blackerby said, holding his fingers an inch apart while standing in the front row behind ropes in The Wynfrey lobby. "It's like I went to church and God told me He didn't approve."

Only in Alabama.

Blackerby wants Saban to know this: He's not a Harvey Updyke.

"I'm not going to poison no trees," Blackerby said. "I don't agree with that. I wrote a blog condemning the destruction of any landmark at any university. It's not cool. I'm just extremely passionate. SEC football is a religion, and that's the difference to me."

Yet when you talk to Blackerby, it's clear Alabama football is very personal. And while there are very few people who would actually poison a tree, the extent to which some Alabama and Auburn fans attach their self-esteem toward a football game is crazy.

"At times things do get out of hand when it comes to the Iron Bowl rivalry," Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower said. "Sometimes you just kind of think, 'This is going to be because of a football game? Y'all are really going to do this?' At the same time, I love it. Whenever they come together, you never know what's going to happen."

Alabama blowing a 24-point lead to Auburn last November hit Blackerby -- hard.

"Honestly and truthfully, that was probably my lowest moment as a Bama fan," he said. "When that game was over, I deleted like 30 friends on Facebook. I've lost friends. I was extremely childish and I didn't take that very well at all for about a week."

About a week before the tornadoes hit the state of Alabama in April, Blackerby received the "I Hate Auburn" T-shirt in the mail.

"The tornado happened and I was like, for a month, I don't want to wear nothing that says I hate Auburn," Blackerby said. "I put it in a drawer. Leading up to this I said I'll go to SEC Media Days and wear this shirt. It will be a fun environment."

Blackerby seems like a nice-enough guy. But does he really "hate" another university?

"I wanted to be known as a symbol of passion, not hatred," he said. "I would trade all of these interviews if Nick Saban would come talk to me about it."

Blackerby got part of his wish, as later Saban gave him an autograph after he told the coach he didn't mean any disrespect to Auburn. Saban's response: "All right."

Blackerby blogs on something called Saban Sidewalk. He says he's about to line up a gig as an Alabama feature writer for a new website.

"I guess I'm about to go to games and write like you guys," Blackerby said.

Lord help us.