Somebody Has to Lose
“Do you believe in miracles?!" the announcer uttered excitedly as the final seconds ticked down. The U.S. Men's hockey team had defeated the Goliath-like Soviets in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. Ask anyone of age what that moment meant -- and they might say everything, or nothing at all. Or a million other things.
When she was in fourth-grade, my daughter was on the soccer field when underdogs Janas Plumbing topped previously unbeaten Hannaford Supermarket one-nil in the rain. Like the Soviets, Hannaford went on a late and desperate offensive surge which ultimately fell short. Afterward, as we walked to the car, I told her it was like the time my Trinity High Pioneers basketball team hosted big, bad, and nationally-ranked Don Bosco from Boston, and won, before going on to the NH state title.
I like upsets. Even (in retrospect) when the Giants beat the Pats in the Super Bowl, twice. The first time didn't hurt so much: it seemed a fitting end to an impossibly perfect season in which the last opponent turned out to be up to the challenge. The second time, though, was a slow, creeping death; it was happening again. Fucking Eli Manning.
I can't complain as a Pats fan: anyone who does is overthinking it. And I don't mind that Brady and Gronk will be playing for Tampa Bay next season. Hopefully it will start on time, and the Bucs wind up meeting the Pats for the rings in February 2021.
It will be like the time the Red Sox played the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series: my two favorite teams, what a treat. Back then I felt the need to root for only one, and it was the Reds. My mom, a Carlton Fisk fan, watched the Series with me, though had fallen asleep on the couch when he hit his now famous homerun at Fenway in the twelfth inning to win game six. The Reds, of course, pulled out game seven on a Joe Morgan bloop single to center in the late innings.
I miss Lebron highlights in the morning on ESPN. I never rooted for him until now, and hope he can somehow win another title and become part of Laker lore. Along with Jordan and Magic, he occupies my all-time top five, along with Kobe and either Duncan or Bird. An old basketball writer with the Boston Globe once said you had to leave out centers all-time, otherwise you're dealing with Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem, Walton, Shaq…
Willis Reed was the man. A tall tree of a man, he blew out his knee as he drove to the hoop against Wilt and the Lakers in game five of the NBA Finals. The Knicks rallied for their fallen leader, and won, before losing badly in L.A. to even the series. Back in New York for game seven, Willis wasn't expected to play. Then just before tip-off, he limped out from the wings in his warmups, the Garden crowd going bonkers. He hit his first two shots, soft jumpers from out on the wing, then sat for the rest of the game while the Knicks crushed the Lakers.
I feel bad for great pro athletes who never won a championship. Ted Williams (also known as "Teddy Ballgame," or, bizarrely today, "The Splendid Splinter"), had to get past Dimaggio and the Yankees every year, and it happened only once, before they lost to the Cardinals in seven. Charles Barkley, good on television commentary and an even better player, toiled in the era of Jordan. Marino was an awesome quarterback.
Sometimes it's the bounce of the ball, or the puck, or a great, ridiculous shot. Luck plays into it, like life. But it's a game, it doesn't really matter, and I like the colorful uniforms.
In eighth grade, my friend Bobby, our shooting guard, and otherwise impactful player, cried in the locker room after our last game, a three-point tournament loss to the favored team. We had a great run that year, but there was no miracle finish.
Some competitors can't stand to lose and that's why they strive so hard to win. It could be on the Wii, or just a board game of Sorry! My grown daughter, for one, has admitted to this drive, and so have Brady and Jordan. I also love to win, though losing never stuck in my craw that much. It's only a game!
My advanced thinking on this (which they might say is a loser's mentality), takes into account the obvious: games are fun! And someone has to lose. Now more than ever, though, DIY sports can be cathartic. A local park, the backyard, driveway, even down in the basement makes for a great field or surface. I'm always partial to a ball or a puck or a frisbee, but you don't even need those. Just jump around.
Fin