Sunday, November 13, 2005
A Win and a Smile
I'm sorry for the sad silence here at reb sox for the past week or so. Reb Sox commenting fave peter* e-mailed last week to make sure I had not been abducted, so I guess I should apologize for any concern I may have caused. Some of you read my other blog, and may have guessed that I just have a lot to figure out right now... still I need to make time to blog, for writing brings me clarity. Breaking silence is always tricky for me, as if I must dig out something very profound to make up for it. I have nothing profound for you today. Just words. But enough words about me, right? Let's get some about sports.
The game this past Monday seemed like a compelling subject, yet I had nothing to say about it. Nothing, that is, that I haven't said repeatedly about our Patriots this season. (1. PROTECT TOM- 2. Force Turnovers- 3. What the hell are we putting out there pretending to be an OL? We need to PROTECT TOM BRADY!) If we were able to solve those fatal flaws, we would have won that game. I knew going in, though, that if we could not protect tom we had no chance... beyond the freak occurrance of turnovers, which as it turned out went the wrong way last week.
It's pretty obvious by now that our boys in blue are vulnerable this year. Beyond the ol' "any given Sunday" routine, I really have watched the games with no confidence. To the casual fan this might be depressing. Certainly for me it is frustrating, but I must admit there is an aspect to it which I find refreshing. I am a FAN, you see, one who has seen my team at 15-1, and also 1-15, and watch for them to win all the same. As much as I hate to admit it, winning all the time can get dull. At least, the expectation to win, I mean- it takes the joy away from the actual winning.
The nice thing about our boys falling back to earth after their long stint at the top? We get the real excitement back. How many of you were jumping up and down with me yesterday, celebrating that final fourth-down stuff? How many times did you pump your fist and exclaim "yes!" after a first down, or even just a completed pass? How many times did google search out #44 "Heath Evans" for pats fans yesterday, as our eyes bugged out in pleasant surprise and we wondered "who the hell is this guy?" and "where did he come from?" and "where the hell has he been all season?" (Miami, BTW, so I guess he had a little bit to prove out there.)
The best thing about the mediocrity of this season is the hope we still hold from where we stand. After nine games we are barely above .500, yet our chances of making the playoffs are excellent. From there, as we know, anything can happen.
At this point in the baseball season, we knew the chances for our boys in red to make the playoffs were good... but without fixing the fatal flaws on the team (pitching and plate consistancy) we would not be able to do much there. And we didn't. Prospects for the boys in blue this year are similar. Our chances to make the playoffs are fairly solid, and may come down to the wire just like they did in MLB. We have the next seven games to fix the fatal flaws on this team (secondary health and the OL). If we don't- anything can happen, absolutely, but we won't expect much. The success we've seen in recent years allows us to see the team through clearer eyes, accept our shortcomings, and be happy to acheive whatever the team is capable of this year.
Knowing this should help us truly buy into BB's top-page mantra: One game at a time. We won that game in Miami, and I smile today for it, come what may. Starting tomorrow I will shift my focus to The New Orleans Saints, who, despite their meager record, can win easily if not taken seriously. They may only have two wins this year, but one was in Carolina, who in case you don't remember made us look downright foolish just one week later.
The game this past Monday seemed like a compelling subject, yet I had nothing to say about it. Nothing, that is, that I haven't said repeatedly about our Patriots this season. (1. PROTECT TOM- 2. Force Turnovers- 3. What the hell are we putting out there pretending to be an OL? We need to PROTECT TOM BRADY!) If we were able to solve those fatal flaws, we would have won that game. I knew going in, though, that if we could not protect tom we had no chance... beyond the freak occurrance of turnovers, which as it turned out went the wrong way last week.
It's pretty obvious by now that our boys in blue are vulnerable this year. Beyond the ol' "any given Sunday" routine, I really have watched the games with no confidence. To the casual fan this might be depressing. Certainly for me it is frustrating, but I must admit there is an aspect to it which I find refreshing. I am a FAN, you see, one who has seen my team at 15-1, and also 1-15, and watch for them to win all the same. As much as I hate to admit it, winning all the time can get dull. At least, the expectation to win, I mean- it takes the joy away from the actual winning.
The nice thing about our boys falling back to earth after their long stint at the top? We get the real excitement back. How many of you were jumping up and down with me yesterday, celebrating that final fourth-down stuff? How many times did you pump your fist and exclaim "yes!" after a first down, or even just a completed pass? How many times did google search out #44 "Heath Evans" for pats fans yesterday, as our eyes bugged out in pleasant surprise and we wondered "who the hell is this guy?" and "where did he come from?" and "where the hell has he been all season?" (Miami, BTW, so I guess he had a little bit to prove out there.)
The best thing about the mediocrity of this season is the hope we still hold from where we stand. After nine games we are barely above .500, yet our chances of making the playoffs are excellent. From there, as we know, anything can happen.
At this point in the baseball season, we knew the chances for our boys in red to make the playoffs were good... but without fixing the fatal flaws on the team (pitching and plate consistancy) we would not be able to do much there. And we didn't. Prospects for the boys in blue this year are similar. Our chances to make the playoffs are fairly solid, and may come down to the wire just like they did in MLB. We have the next seven games to fix the fatal flaws on this team (secondary health and the OL). If we don't- anything can happen, absolutely, but we won't expect much. The success we've seen in recent years allows us to see the team through clearer eyes, accept our shortcomings, and be happy to acheive whatever the team is capable of this year.
Knowing this should help us truly buy into BB's top-page mantra: One game at a time. We won that game in Miami, and I smile today for it, come what may. Starting tomorrow I will shift my focus to The New Orleans Saints, who, despite their meager record, can win easily if not taken seriously. They may only have two wins this year, but one was in Carolina, who in case you don't remember made us look downright foolish just one week later.
# posted by Rebecca @ 5:41 PM 
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Hey good to see you back. Have to admit I was wonderin about ya. Just figured you were busy with real life which it sounds like you were ;)
Any time the Pats can get a win in Miami it is a good thing. People seem to forget that the Pats hardly ever win down there, so grinding that one out was a great thing to see.
Heath Evans, how about that guy? Hopefully he can continue to play at that level and maybe we can get Dillon back close to full speed.
I thought the Pats much-maligned backfeild really came together yesterday at the end. It felt to me like something finally clicked and they rose to the occasion when it was needed. Hopefully that confidence boost will help!
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Any time the Pats can get a win in Miami it is a good thing. People seem to forget that the Pats hardly ever win down there, so grinding that one out was a great thing to see.
Heath Evans, how about that guy? Hopefully he can continue to play at that level and maybe we can get Dillon back close to full speed.
I thought the Pats much-maligned backfeild really came together yesterday at the end. It felt to me like something finally clicked and they rose to the occasion when it was needed. Hopefully that confidence boost will help!
# posted by 
: 2:25 PM
: 2:25 PM 
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