27 July 2009

Blowing Sunshine

All right. So I've been accused (and rightly so) of being a little too optimistic about this coming season. But I think that's okay. We've got to have extremes, and if an extremist is gonna blog about the team, it should be one who says nice things and has high hopes.

Remember, if one expects a team to lose and they do, one's expectations have been met. It's a pretty hollow victory; who wants to thump their chest and say "See? I was right, they do suck!" But it's a pretty safe bet. If they win, then great!!! But if they lose, then one doesn't risk looking "stupid." (This is the same reason why people never ask questions in classes or at meetings, and why many are no fun: they don't want to look stupid. Whereas I've made a second career out of it.) It's why people invest in t-bills: little ventured, little gained. And then we've got folks who want to win big, like me. I know I can lose big, and I know that people think I'm either an idiot or on hallucinogenic drugs (or both!!!), but that's fine. I'm hoping my positive attitude will spread like herpes through the Northern Michigan Pep Band. Fun times!

I know there's not a lot of empirical data to suggest UMD will finish anywhere near first place. I fully expect DU to win the league and I imagine the coaches' poll will reflect that. I'm a genius prognosticator, I know. I just get so mad at the folks who want to complain about the coaching, or moan about our departures or rail against the "outrageous" spending on our coach's salary (he's a bargain, folks. A bargain. I'll show it mathematically some day.) At the end of the day, being a Bulldog fan is a choice. An insane choice, yes, because they drive us crazy, but we can walk away. Unlike with our families, for example, where even when your mom joins Facebook and cluelessly blunders her way through the site, or your dad calls you to tell you about major road construction AFTER YOU ARE ALREADY STUCK IN IT and then calls back to tell you what shortcut to take AFTER YOU HAVE ALREADY MIRACULOUSLY FIGURED IT OUT ON YOUR OWN, you have to love them anyway. This is a major theme within the collective unconscious, I know. Karl Jung wrote about it extensively.

We can walk away at any time. It's not easy. Minnesota sports fans suffer a lot. We cheer for underdogs. (This is a kind of sick obsession with me. Here is a partial list of underdogs I have championed: Greg Gagne*, Tommy Kramer, Henry Blanco, and Mike Curry. So you can take this for what it's worth.) But seriously, folks. Or, as serious as we can get around here. It's more fun to think positively about the season in July, months before practice even starts, when zero games have been played. We are all on the same side here, and it would be nice if we were on the same side as our team, for crying out loud.

So, as Beard says, "Let's support the team and enjoy not being from Wisconsin." (It's T.S. for Larry R. and Bruce.)
*Gags can't be that much of an underdog, as he was voted to the All-Metrodome team! Yeah! Way to beat out Cristian Guzman and Pat Meares!

4 comments:

State Street said...

Like Tommy Smothers said "Being mediocre means always being on your game." Sounds like Bulldog hockey to me.

Anonymous said...

mom is NOT cluelessly blundering her way through the site...she is cautiously poking about...hands-on learning!

dogs2012 said...

I'm glad someone else besides me is optimistic! Pessimistic talk kills baby seals.

vizoroo said...

"I fully expect DU to win the league...."I'm holding you to this, RWD.
After all if you say it is so...it is so.