It's easy to understand why coaches and players need to pull positive points from overall negative situations, particularly when they're focusing on the future. Playing even during the second half, consistently moving the ball, showing some flashes, this is the language of teams who just got beat...but got beat by less than they were supposed to. It's a effective tool when used sparingly, but go to the well too often, and you'll be dismissed as a buffoon.
Gopher football has always been the most fertile ground from which to harvest moral victories, and Old Farmer Brewster the greatest purveyor it's ever known. Cherry-picking the good points and glossing over the bad worked for awhile. But once your major highlight is the fact that you've scored last in all your blowout losses, you've taken a left turn from Positivetown to Delusionville.
That's why this is such an odd feeling, on a weekend where both local football teams lost, the main thought running through my head was: "Hey, that could've been much worse!"
Sure, the Gophers got blown out of the water early, but at least managed to keep things from descending into another 50-point abyss. The Vikings hung in with the NFL's best team, even having an outside shot to win the game, while getting a bit of spark from their new rookie QB. Heck, even the Wild managed to scrape up a point in Vancouver before losing in OT. A trifecta of "good" losses, if there is such a thing.
Would any of this be viewed with a shred of positivity if the bar hadn't been lowered to ridiculous levels? Of course not. But when you're on a forced march through the barren desert, you need to talk yourself into the idea that their might be an oasis just over the next dune. Helps you to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
There are no Vikings or Gopher fans, or at least none who would be considered sane in a court of law, still holding out hope for the 2011 season. That was entinguished some time ago, if it ever really existed to being with. Now we get to kick back, and enjoy the season without all the angst of impending playoff doom. Sure there's still a bit of ongoing drama related to the fact that our team could end up playing it's home games a thousand miles away in the near future, but let's put that aside and focus on the positive.
Because Christian Ponder looked pretty good, or at least good by comparison. People like me, who were concerned about starting a rookie from day one, were reminded that a rookie is an upgrade, when the alternative is a corpse. He ran around a bit, made a few plays, gave them a chance; with this supporting cast, that's all we can ask for. Of course, this does not mean that we should expect long-term success, my bust expectation has not changed. But it is intriguing, and at the moment, that's all we can ask for.
Not throwing bouquets at everyone though, so I'll end an oddly optimistic blog with some venomous invective.
My hatred for Broncos QB Tim Tebow is well-chronicled, most notably here. The events of the past 24 hours have brought me to a very important decision:
Be it know that as of today, October 24th, in the year of our lord 2011, Tim Tebow shall be dubbed the official nemesis of the Loserville Chronicles.
Why? Well the short answer is because everyone needs a nemesis, as we learned from the Count of Monte Cristo. Love may be good for writing songs, but it's grudges, and the settling of scores, that keep things moving along. Do you think American society would be anywhere near where it is today if not for the Soviet threat pushing things for half a century? Everyone needs somebody to keep them on their toes, I'm up to 5 or 6 different nemeses these days. Not a list you want to be on, trust me, nevermind the fact that most of them don't know who I am.
Why specifically Tebow? Can't say there's really a logical basis for hating him personally, but the fervor of his supporters alone offers ample reason to want him to fail.
I'll let regular reader Brent from Denver explain:
I was getting to the point of being able to tolerate my city's home team....
I went to lunch. When I first get into my car, Rome is talking Tebow. Change the channel, Cowherd is talking Tebow. Change to the local guys....talking Tebow. Get home to eat, turn on sports center, they are breaking down plays from Tebow's game. Get back in the car to come to work and here is a paraphrased phone call from a local rube:
"All these national guys are drooling over what Ponder did in Minnesota and nobody is giving Tebow any credit. Ponder is surrounded by all those wepons. He threw for under 50% just like Tebow, yet they say Ponder is so great. But Tebow won! Ponder didn't. I don't understand why he gets no credit".
I am not over stating this. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A QB PLAY WORSE THAN TEBOW DID YESTERDAY. NEVER. If Tebow played like Spurgeon Wynn, they would have won that game by 14 points.
One could understand that view coming from Denver, but even at a bar in Minnesota, the Tebow comeback was greeted with a roar typically reserved for Vikings TDs. It would appear that a whole lot of people out there are on board, and there's nothing that irritates me more than the blind awarding of underserved credit.
I never hated Michael Phelps, just Phelps fans. Never hated LeBron James (well, never before The Decision at least), just hated the media for creating an endless two-year saga leading up to his impending free agency. Never even hated Brett Favre, just the godlike status afforded to him. But I am starting to hate Tim Tebow, because he's trending closer to Kim Kardashian than any of the athletes previously mentioned, making headlines more on the basis of his image than his ability.
Oh sure, there are accomplishments galore when it comes to football, but much of the Tebow admiration has nothing to do with the game he plays. That makes me uneasy, as the game is my only concern . I respect the guy's belief system, that's his business, and a personal thing. But I support separation of church and sport, and the best way I see to avoid more abortion ads during the Super Bowl is for Tim Tebow's career to flame out quickly and completely.
Do I recognize the silliness in what I just wrote, criticizing the upstanding citizen while a Vikings defensive back sits jailed on a domestic assault charge that includes the word "strangulation"? Of course I do. This is sports hate, we'll leave the true hate for real life.
But that's the point, this isn't real life, this is sports, so no cross-pollinating with the parts of life that actually matter. You keep hopping over the line Mr. Tebow, not to mention your supporters are really annoying, so here's hoping you're gone from the league very soon.
Nothing personal, nemesis.
No comments:
Post a Comment