Actually I enjoyed the game.
Not the misses on our side, the makes from UW, or the long span of time when it looked like the outcome might rain on our end-of-season post-game parade.
I saw it like this — when two teams come to play, the past is left at the door. And the game must be played before a winner emerges.
In the last conference game of the season, two teams came to play, one was undefeated, playing in its last regular season game after a long successful season, had a stressful post-season to prepare for, and had the parents of its seniors in the house. It had also come off a stressful weekend where they had to dig deep to win a very difficult game against Oregon in the last minutes.
The other team had nothing to lose, were at the end of a long season of learning and adjustment with a new (and successful) coach and several transfer players. Plus they were on a two-game winning streak after losing all of their conference games this season. Here was their chance to make this a successful season. Nothing was expected of them, they could play loose, and they could play hard.
One of our colleagues on the Board, 81Alum, called it when he said the WSU game had all the trimming of a "trap game." I was in attendance in the Bahamas at the last game he had made a similar comment, and yes, we lost that one to unranked South Florida in a close game. The Stanford vs UW game appeared to be such a game as well.
So, why did I enjoy the game?
I didn’t have expectations. I hung in for every play. I felt that horrible feeling of an impending loss, but kept looking ahead to see how we were going to win. I was excited by how passionate our team played, how we fought for loose balls, and went for steals. I felt dread when we continually missed our three-pointers, but looked ahead at defensive stops and new opportunities to score. In the end, it was a hard-fought contest between two gladiators, one that was expected to win easily and the other that gave its all for personal and team pride.
The results — a close game; a come-from-behind win; a heroic individual and team performance; and an exciting climax for the home team, their fans, and their parents! The game started zero to zero and had to move play-by-play to completion before providing a brobdingnagian win (and a winning spirit) for the home team. For the satisfaction and joy of the last conference game of the season, the script couldn’t have been written any better. And to provide the needed momentum for a team moving into its tournament season, the script might be equally appropriate.
Here's wishing this wonderful team all the success in the games that lie ahead!
Not the misses on our side, the makes from UW, or the long span of time when it looked like the outcome might rain on our end-of-season post-game parade.
I saw it like this — when two teams come to play, the past is left at the door. And the game must be played before a winner emerges.
In the last conference game of the season, two teams came to play, one was undefeated, playing in its last regular season game after a long successful season, had a stressful post-season to prepare for, and had the parents of its seniors in the house. It had also come off a stressful weekend where they had to dig deep to win a very difficult game against Oregon in the last minutes.
The other team had nothing to lose, were at the end of a long season of learning and adjustment with a new (and successful) coach and several transfer players. Plus they were on a two-game winning streak after losing all of their conference games this season. Here was their chance to make this a successful season. Nothing was expected of them, they could play loose, and they could play hard.
One of our colleagues on the Board, 81Alum, called it when he said the WSU game had all the trimming of a "trap game." I was in attendance in the Bahamas at the last game he had made a similar comment, and yes, we lost that one to unranked South Florida in a close game. The Stanford vs UW game appeared to be such a game as well.
So, why did I enjoy the game?
I didn’t have expectations. I hung in for every play. I felt that horrible feeling of an impending loss, but kept looking ahead to see how we were going to win. I was excited by how passionate our team played, how we fought for loose balls, and went for steals. I felt dread when we continually missed our three-pointers, but looked ahead at defensive stops and new opportunities to score. In the end, it was a hard-fought contest between two gladiators, one that was expected to win easily and the other that gave its all for personal and team pride.
The results — a close game; a come-from-behind win; a heroic individual and team performance; and an exciting climax for the home team, their fans, and their parents! The game started zero to zero and had to move play-by-play to completion before providing a brobdingnagian win (and a winning spirit) for the home team. For the satisfaction and joy of the last conference game of the season, the script couldn’t have been written any better. And to provide the needed momentum for a team moving into its tournament season, the script might be equally appropriate.
Here's wishing this wonderful team all the success in the games that lie ahead!