I’m starting to notice that I’m totally full of crap. I know that comes as quite a newsflash to some. If you didn’t already figure that out on your own though, here are a few things I’ve said this past year.
During the Eastern Conference Finals: “If the Cavs beat the Pistons, I don’t care if they get swept in the finals.” Wrong.
Before the Indians season: “The Indians just need to make the playoffs and get the experience. It’s ok if they don’t win the World Series because they probably won’t. I just want them to get that experience.” Dead wrong.
Before the Buckeyes season started: “The other big teams out there are too good and our preseason ranking is too low to get us to the National Championship again. Plus it’s unrealistic to think that we can beat Michigan, who looks good this year. If we can somehow get to the Rose Bowl this year I will be ecstatic.” Slamming-my-head-against-the-wall wrong.
Before the Steelers game: “The Browns have played great football this year since the opener. All I could ask from them after the opener is competent football and they are playing even better than that. As long as we don’t get blown out at Pittsburgh and stay in the game, I’ll be happy. Seriously. I seriously mean this.” Weapons of Mass Destruction wrong.
And these are just examples from 2007. What am I not getting? I’ve been a crazed Cleveland sports fan since I was six-years-old. I’ve experienced an incredible amount of letdowns and failures during this time. My teams are Wile E. Coyote chasing the roadrunner of success. I know this. I’m a veteran of failure.
Since I’m a veteran I know my tendencies. I get too intense watching games. I shout inappropriate things. I know that no matter how good or bad my team is I will be despondent or furious when they lose. These are facts based on a large sample size. So why do I keep thinking I’ll be happy with defeats?
Clearly, in the rational part of life – the time not watching sports – this makes sense. Making the finals, making the playoffs, getting better with each game, and exceeding expectations are all special things. They are inherently good things to achieve. All of these scenarios, in some respect, deserve cheers and applause.
After this weekend I could have easily held my head high for all the Buckeyes have accomplished and still can accomplish. I could have easily felt satisfied with a competitive Browns game. I told myself that I should. But I didn’t. You know how people say sports aren’t played on paper? Well I don’t cheer on paper either. I should be happy the Browns were competitive, but I’m still furious they lost that game.
After this weekend, which I dubbed Kick in the Pills Football Weekend 2007, I felt letdown, embarrassed, sick to my stomach, and like an ACME anvil dropped on my head. All of the rational, level-headedness is once again out the window, at least for a week or so.
In the end, my problem is I’m a Clevelander through and through. By game or season’s end, my perspective and my team’s performance will always be the same. Terrible.
But the other part of being a Clevelander is believing all over again. I wanted to beat Pittsburgh and that loss hurt, but we’re a good team sitting at 5-4 with an easy schedule down the stretch. You never know how this will go down. And no matter what, if the Browns can stay competitive until the end of the season and get close to the playoffs, I’ll be happy.
Whoops. Go Browns.
As a Notre Dame fan right now, I hate my life.
I told myself in the spring not to get too excited because they looked this bad in the spring, and I said, “Well they are young, we should go about .500 and I’ll be fine.”
I hate my life.
fuck off
This is the type of resentment I get on here? Wait until Fridays … the podcast starts soon, I will dominate your weekend from now on.
I will not let you ruin my weekend with your stupid banter.