Diasppointing
Before we left for the NCAA games on Saturday I was talking with the boys. Jake was busting Sam's chops a little bit because Sam's passion team, the Villanova Wildcats, were playing the last game of the night and we'd be there.
"When they lose you're gonna' be weeping in your seat," Jake said.
"I might," Sam said.
So I told the boys about begging my Mom to take us to a Sabres Playoff Game back in 1978 or so. The Sabres were good enough to beat the mighty Islanders and the game was huge as the Sabres were down 2-1 in the best of seven.
They had to win.
They needed me there to cheer them on.
And bless my poor mother because she drove us out there and sat there, yawning, through three periods and nearly two full overtimes before...
...Nystrom of the Islanders let a harmless shot go from just inside the line.
It went in.
There was a collective groan and then total silence as the Islanders celebrated on the ice.
I was nearly weeping in my seat.
I thought of all of this again late in the Villanova-U-Conn game. I kept looking over at Sam to see how he was handling the disappointment as they were down about ten with time running out.
He was fidgeting.
He started talking about how they would return most of their team next year and how they had played well.
"U-Conn is good," I tried. "Villanova has nothing to be ashamed about."
And there are so many things in life that will eventually disappoint, and while having a sports team get knocked out is way down on the list of miserable things in life, it certainly doesn't feel that way at 13.
"That's all right, I'm used to losing," Sam said as we left the building. "The Bills and Sabres taught me how to handle it."
I knew he was feeling absolutely miserable.
"Now Jake is going to be all over me," he said.
"That's all right," I told him. "Don't let the fear of losing something stop you from loving it."
He thought about that for a minute.
"Ah well," he said. "The 27-Time World Champion Greatest Franchise in the History of Organized Sports opens up their season next week."
"When they lose you're gonna' be weeping in your seat," Jake said.
"I might," Sam said.
So I told the boys about begging my Mom to take us to a Sabres Playoff Game back in 1978 or so. The Sabres were good enough to beat the mighty Islanders and the game was huge as the Sabres were down 2-1 in the best of seven.
They had to win.
They needed me there to cheer them on.
And bless my poor mother because she drove us out there and sat there, yawning, through three periods and nearly two full overtimes before...
...Nystrom of the Islanders let a harmless shot go from just inside the line.
It went in.
There was a collective groan and then total silence as the Islanders celebrated on the ice.
I was nearly weeping in my seat.
I thought of all of this again late in the Villanova-U-Conn game. I kept looking over at Sam to see how he was handling the disappointment as they were down about ten with time running out.
He was fidgeting.
He started talking about how they would return most of their team next year and how they had played well.
"U-Conn is good," I tried. "Villanova has nothing to be ashamed about."
And there are so many things in life that will eventually disappoint, and while having a sports team get knocked out is way down on the list of miserable things in life, it certainly doesn't feel that way at 13.
"That's all right, I'm used to losing," Sam said as we left the building. "The Bills and Sabres taught me how to handle it."
I knew he was feeling absolutely miserable.
"Now Jake is going to be all over me," he said.
"That's all right," I told him. "Don't let the fear of losing something stop you from loving it."
He thought about that for a minute.
"Ah well," he said. "The 27-Time World Champion Greatest Franchise in the History of Organized Sports opens up their season next week."
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