I will not grab the low-hanging fruit this week while writing my column…or at least I will try. What I am referring to in my low-hanging fruit analogy is what news writers refer to as an easy story, ripe for the picking that does not take a lot of thought because it is basically all that everyone is talking about,
especially in the sports world and in the world of what used to be just a rivalry. I do not want to come off sounding like some obsessed sports/recruiting writer whose next breath depends on what his rival institution is doing and not reporting much on what the team he covers is doing, even with fall camp just around the corner. I do not really understand that level of obsession, but it obviously works for this individual, I guess, because he is still doing it and is leading his masses.
Maybe he can hold his head high thinking he was the moral police for the events that occurred, but I would be embarrassed myself to be compared to Harvey Updyke, the Alabama fan that poisoned the trees at Toomer’s Corner (Auburn) seven years or so ago. That is next level stuff and I assume the top level would be like a Euro-soccer riot or something. Several national articles came out with quotes and facts from this writer that made the state of Mississippi look bad. Some of the quotes attributed to this writer were just downright embarrassing and the national media just ran with it, making our state the butt of their jokes once again.
I really do not have a problem either way with the way the story came out, but the underlying circumstances surrounding this obsessed individual should be frightening to those that follow like sheep. That is just my two cents on that situation because I am somewhat sensitive with how my beloved state is perceived, especially in the national media. Needless to say, there is a big enough soap opera going on here without adding in all that other backwards, barefooted and uneducated no teeth drivel.
It is a sad state of affairs for a particular family no doubt, and I will just leave it at that. As much as I love football and all sports in general, I must remember at all times that it is just a game. The outcome will not affect my bank account or my position on the food chain. I do understand that it hurts to lose or to be considered a loser in whatever sport you follow; I have been an Atlanta Braves and New Orleans Saint fan my entire life. With the Saints, Joe Montana would break my heart twice a year when they played in the NFC West and with the Braves. I became somewhat numb to winning after they did it so much only to fall in the World Series time after time.
Obviously, I forget about the lean years of the late 80s and the 1995 Championship. The Saints were just my team; I loved them regardless of their record. I was happy with an occasional 8-8 season but most during my childhood were in the 5-11 or 6-10 range, and I do remember a 1-15 tucked in there somewhere. The Saints finally became somewhat of a regular playoff team in the mid to late 90s and then, after so many bleak years, won the Super Bowl in 2010. The point I am making is that my life did not change with the championship seasons or the really bad seasons. Everything still played out just as it would have if my teams were as great as the Yankees and the Patriots.
Now, I will say that following a winner is a lot more fun than the other option. The only thing that might have changed about me is that I probably would have worn some Braves and Saints championship attire in high school and college had they brought home the gold, but I digress. My life is just fine at this point. I will not let a sports team define who I am or how I act. Admittedly, it is depressing when your team loses, but it is definitely not the end of the world. It is not like the cure for cancer was lost with your team’s loss on the field or that your bank account suddenly bottomed out after the loss––unless you mess with Vegas of course, which I would never do. So let’s just agree to watch our teams, whether pro or college, without the bloodshed. I do know what I just said is indeed a pipe dream and it will never happen, because their ain’t nothing like bragging rights.
Just remember that in sports things are never as good or bad as they seem. Who am I kidding? I’ve had my heart broke so many times by a stupid game I can’t count them all. My next thought after the loss was, “How will my rival rag me now?” I do keep a little bit of simple advice tucked into the back of my mind that my beautiful and wise little wife told me years ago. She said to me after a particular depressing and heartbreaking loss from one of my teams, “The players on that team don’t even know who you are. Now, if it was one of our boys playing that would be different. You just need to cheer up and quit acting so silly.”
I often think about that little quote she hit me with so many years ago and it does help me to shed a different light on what I find important. Just remember parents, what we glamorize our children will idolize. I can’t take credit for that quote, it came from a Levi Lusko sermon I believe, but it hit me like a ton of bricks, and it is true about so many things in our lives. I love sports, I live sports, but I will not let sports define my current mood, if I can help it…unless my kid is playing. Harvey Updyke was real, let’s keep him in Alabama and the Euro-soccer riots across the pond.
