First Taste of Devastation - 1998 Vikings

Tonight, I watched a little video called "Missing Rings" on youtube. It's a program about the 1998 Vikings team. That year immediately conjures up horrible images of tearshed and despair in my mind. It's a touchy subject to this day for any type of Vikings fan. Watching that video brought back so many memories. It also brought tears to my eyes, deja vu from 11 years ago I guess. It occured to me that that year was my first taste of the devastating feeling that all fans feel at some point.

I was 8 years old in '98 and like most kids my age, obsessed with my Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings were an offensive dynamo, the greatest show in the league. Everyone sensed that this team was special. It didn't take long for one Randy Moss to become my favorite player, as he still is to this day. This was our year, I knew it. I would be alive to celebrate the Vikings first ever Super Bowl win. I was sure of it. I remember Cunningham taking over for the injured Johnson and leading us to a 7-0 record. Moss was electrifying the league, Carter was his usual self, Robert Smith was running wild, and our defense was doing enough to keep us on top. I remember coming in from deer hunting on the Sunday we played Tampa Bay and listening to us lose on the radio. It was our first loss of the regular season, but I thought we were invincible? The loss got to me, but it wasn't long before we started steamrolling again. We demolished the Cowboys on Thanksgiving thanks to Moss' three TD's. We didn't lose another game and finished the regular season 15-1. I was dreaming of a match-up against the Broncos in the Super Bowl. We all were. We got past the Cardinals with ease and set up a showdown with the Falcons. I remember all week being nervous for that game. I remember my Mom talking about how the papers said we would have to watch out for the wide receivers known as M & M (Mathis and Martin) for the Falcons. Sunday came and I had every right to believe this Sunday would end like nearly every other Sunday that year, with a Vikings win.

When it started, we were moving the ball easily, but having trouble punching it in. I remember thinking 20-14 at the half wasn't good enough. We're the high flying Vikings we should be running right through this team! We still controlled the second half and were up by 7 with over 2 minutes to go. We sent in our ultra-reliable kicker to put the game on ice. Gary Anderson hadn't missed a field goal for two years. I remember watching as the ball went wide right. Did that really happen? But he never misses! We were so close. But it wasn't over, of course I had hope we could stop them. I was wrong, Atlanta scored and the game went to overtime. Overtime was terrifying for me. A coin flip was what I thought would determine if we would make the Super Bowl. I was wrong again. We won the toss, but didn't score. The game wore on and on when finally the Falcons made progress and got within field goal range. Out came Morten Anderson. Morten Anderson held the hopes and dreams of an 8 year old boy in that left leg. I could hardly watch. I knew it was going in. And just like that it was up and in. I remember sitting in my parent's room bawling my eyes out. I thought the world was over. I was in shock. We were meant to win the Super Bowl, this was our year. It was all swept from under us. That will always be among the most crushing defeats I've ever been through, up there with even a game I actually took part in (people from Chisholm should remember that Orr game which I still have trouble talking about.)

I act as if I was the only little kid to be crushed that day, but all my friends went through the same thing. We all shed tears that day. We all remember that magical year when the Super Bowl seemed to be ours for the taking. But we're not unique either, every single year many 8 year old kids go through the same things we did. It's the first taste of being a fan. You invest so much into something you can't control and sometimes things like that happen. There's no feeling like it. Like a hole in your stomach, that gutted feeling. You wonder why? Why did this have to happen to us? You take your mind off it, but it comes back. You wake up, and for just a few seconds, life is good. Then it hits you again. Being a fan isn't fun for much of the time. So why do we do it? Because the feeling we get when all of our emotional investment does pay off outweighs everything else. The feeling that yes, we finally made it. We ascended the mountain. That high is unmatched to a fan. That's why we do it.

Why did I decide to write about this? Because at about 3 AM on November 24, it occured to me that this current Vikings team has got me believing again. That same feeling of destiny I felt 11 years ago as a little boy is slowly coming back. I'm dreaming of Super Bowls again, and I love it.

Reality Check - things in perspective

Every once in a while, things happen that put everything in life into perspective. Three very recent events, one local, one national, and one world really hit me hard and got me thinking.

The first event happened in world news. A 32 year old German goalkeeper took his own life yesterday. He threw himself infront of a train. His name was Robert Enke, and he was the starting goalie for the German national team in many of their recent games. When I saw this headline, my heart sank. I hate to see anyone die this young. A couple years back, Enke's two year old daughter passed away from a rare heart condition. Officials near to the situation indicated that Enke never truly recovered from this unfortunate event. The spot he decided to end his life at was a mere 200 meters from his daughters grave. I think we all too often assume that athletes don't have the same problems normal citizens have. We need to remember that athletes are human beings just as we are. They may be paid handsomely, but they have the same stresses and worries that we do. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Robert Enke in these tough times. Especially his wife and adopted child.

On a national scale here in the US, we get the news that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is being treated for leukemia. Leukemia is obviously an extremely serious illness. It takes courage to fight this disease and Kareem sounded ready for the fight from the press release I heard. Again, we almost look at athletes as being invincible. However, they are just as prone to these things as we are. I think most of us know or knew of someone who suffered from a form of cancer of sickness so we can certainly emphasize and pray for a recovery for this great hall of famer.

The local scale case I'm referring to is a bit of a "you had to be there" kind of thing. In this case, you need to know Chisholm basketball. The Chisholm basketball program lost a member of its "family" last week when Bill Carlson passed away. He had been struggling in the nursing home for some time now. Bill could usually be seen taking stats for the broadcasting crew at Chisholm basketball games. He loved Chisholm as much as he hated every team that played Chisholm, and that's saying something. He had such passion for the Bluestreaks. Before many home games, he'd come down and talk to the A teamers while we were watching the JV game. His conversations were always entertaining. When he talked to me, I distinctly remember him always asking us to beat the other team good. I told him we'd try our best. I'm proud to say that in the last two years of Bill's life, he got to see Chisholm make it down to state twice. I know he was proud of us. After every season, we'd have a team dinner at a local restaurant. Bill would present the older kids on the team with a season review book. He spent hundreds of hours of his life going through every single game, putting together recaps and stats. This firmly illustrated his devotion to the Streaks. This last year, he couldn't make it to the dinner. We didn't receive our books. About mid summer, we received the book in the mail. Bill wasn't doing necessarily well, but he took the time to make them for us. I couldn't be more appreciative of what he did. Those books took so much effort but he made sure they got to us. I'll forever remember Bill when I look through that book. Chisholm has lost one of its finest supporters, but I'm sure Bill will be watching in on Roel's Gymnasium from now on. Keeping stats of course. Rest in peace Bill Carlson, thanks for everything.

Eternal Optimism as a Fan

Remember Arsenal? Yep, I'm obsessed. The sport of soccer has consumed me. Arsenal Football Club occupies a large space of my thought during the day, while my other sports teams occupy the rest. Just kidding. But this does illustrate my fandom for the club. Arsenal has been lighting the league up this year so far. To the point where an already optimistic fan like me is beeming with exuberance. Unlike other aspects of my life, I'm eternally optimistic when it comes to my beloved sports teams. When the Twins were down and out in early September, I said "eh they still got a month". Lo and behold, the Twins stormed back and beat the Tigers in a one game playoff in what was one of the finest experiences of my life. Back to something no one will care about. Arsenal have had a bit of a trophy drought. Their last trophy was won in 2005. I became a fan in 2006. You do the math, I've never experienced great success as a fan. I firmly believe that this is the year it will happen though. I said I'm optimistic as a fan, but this is something else entirely. Going into the 07/08 season in the NBA, I believed the Lakers could suprise people. I was optimistic for a good year. Once they got Pau Gasol, I was optimistic for a title. Long story short the Lakers fell short to the Celtics. Going into the next year, I had a completely differet feeling. Sure I was optimistic, but this was something else. There is a moment a fan gets when he realizes that "this is our year". I felt that with the Lakers, and it all came true. That story is for another day though. I've gotten that moment with Arsenal. If you don't know Arsenal you should, because they could simple handedly make you a believer in soccer. Their entire philosophy is based on fluid movement, precision passing, and clinical finishing. Quite simply, they play the game the way it should be played. The amount of attacking talent this team has literally leaves me speechless at times. They've had 6 goal, 5 goal, 4 goal games galore this year. I have my hopes so high for this team, but that's what being a fan is all about. You put yourself out there. Sometimes it works out and you experience a euphoria that can be found nowhere else. All the stress, devotion, and effort you put in to the team is rewarded. Sometimes it doesn't work out. You put yourself out there, believed it could happen, and allowed yourself to get hurt. They couldn't pull it off. But if you don't put yourself out there you don't even have the chance to feel that euphoria. That's called being a casual fan. This seems to also be a metaphor for relationships. Didn't intend that. I love the dynamics of being a fan. The anxiety I'm put through with each coming game. The way a game in which I have no control over can ruin my day. The never ending cycle in the pursuit of a title. A friend and I discussed this and came up with the metaphor that a playoff run is like a summer fling. This mostly pertains to NHL and NBA. The playoffs take place in the summer and you roll with your team and see where it can take you. Sometimes it takes you far, sometimes it flames out. Just like a summer fling. Sometimes that summer fling repeats itself the next year, because you know you want it to. Who knows? Maybe it'll work this time right? Great metaphor.

Remember that test I studied for at 3 in the moring? 54/60. Looks like I won't be changing anytime soon.

Also, here's a link to a video which showcases the season Arsenal is having. It's an excellent encapsulation of the team.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gljnXzUZjTk

Soccer Obsession in the US - a typical day

I am an avid fan of Arsenal Football Club. I developed the love for Arsenal through Thierry Henry, who was one of my first favorite players when soccer took a hold on me in 2006. In the past, I just checked the headlines to see how the team was doing. This was before I learned about streaming over the internet. Last year I started watching some of Arsenal's games live. Now streaming is often a frustrating process, which brings us to my day today. You need to find a good site from which to stream from obviously. This is not easy. Luckily, so far I've rarely missed a match and found some good sites to watch from. Today, was what I call a bad day at the office. My site was being utterly unreliable. My ideal plan was to watch the first half of the match in my room, then watch the second half during my extremely boring class. Unfortunately, I may have watched a total of 20 or 30 of the 90 minutes. I saw one of Arsenal's four goals. It's frustrating spending an entire match searching for a working link. This is the life of a soccer fan in a seemingly un-soccer world. I guess I picked the wrong sport to become obsessed with. Soccer is slowly becoming more prevalent on the major networks, so the future is bright. I guess I'm just a little mad I had to spend most of my boring seminar today pretending to listen rather than pretending to listen while watching a soccer match. You understand the frustration. Oh ya remember that paper I was supposed to write? Well I wrote it, but didn't finish yet. In true Brian form, I'm going to leave it late to finish. I wouldn't have it any other way.